Why Do We Stick Together Again?
by Iceworth
Summary: Alex and his sister are dragged into a ridiculous quest, accompanied by a hyperactive tauren, an undead rogue that insists on murdering everything alive and a troll that’s actually normal... well, almost. Nothing wrong with that, but Alex is human.
1. Let's Take it Home!

Ello folks. Just a random idea that occurred to me yesterday, hope you enjoy!

I don't own WoW, blah blah blah, mmkay?

---

She stood there, towering over the centaur's corpse, cackling. She said something in Orcish, spat on it, then shifted her attention to us.

'Crap,' said Lenora. I blanched.

She smirked. Then she transformed into a human woman. A very piratey one. Our jaws dropped open, and she burst out laughing – a human laugh!

'You scared the shit out of us!' I said.

She wiped a tear from her eye and looked up at us with a grin that made my insides go weak. She was _pretty_. 'Fooled ya!' she said. She transformed back into a lady troll.

'The hell?' said Lenora.

It was a hot day in Durotar, and my sister and I had been "ganking lowbies" as the guild called it. Lowbies – the technical term for younglings starting their training. However our attention had been diverted by what we thought was a human on a horse from a distance to our short sighted eyes, and turned out to be a centaur that was far from being a lowbie. Just when we thought we would be popping up daisies, the young troll – who didn't look bad for a troll, and she was quite… ah… _well endowed_ – had saved our asses. She sniggered at us.

'That was totally random,' said Lenora.

'Do you ever shut up?' I asked her.

'Only when I need air,' my sister shot back, and laughed. The troll raised both eyebrows and grinned. 'Who's she, anyway? Can she speak Common, or only those two words?'

'She had an accent,' I said. 'I think she imitated them or something.'

'How on earth is a rogue able to turn into a human? She is a rogue, right?'

I supposed so – she had leather armour, but not the sneaky black of the rogue. Then again, black wouldn't blend well in Durotar. 'She looked rather piratey,' I said. 'Maybe it was that fish? You know, that recipe they make out of the deviates?'

'Why'd she cancel the effect so soon?'

'Maybe she ate like only one scale or something.'

The troll said something in Orcish and laughed. I think she had said something along the lines of _any particular reason why you're talking about me?_ or something, by the way she was so amused.

'Let's take her home,' said Lenora.

I looked at her incredulously. 'You have got to be joking.'

'Nope,' said Lenora. 'She's awfully pretty for a troll.'

'You're a woman.'

'So?'

'You should not be saying stuff like that.'

'What's wrong with noticing how pretty someone looks or not?'

'She's a troll! We're not taking her home and you're not meant to be complimenting her looks!'

The troll said something. We ignored her.

'You know Mum won't care,' said Lenora.

That was true. If there was ever an insane crazy cat lady person in Azeroth, it was Mother. 'So? _She_ might!'

'_She_ probably has a name,' Lenora approached the troll who cocked her head and tightened her grip on the dagger. Lenora didn't miss it, stopping for a second before going in closer. 'Who are you?'

The troll cocked her head again.

'Me Lenora,' said Lenora, pointing at herself. 'Lenora. You…?' she pointed at the troll.

The troll said something in Orcish. Probably something like, _What the fuck are you on about?_

'Lenora,' Lenora pointed at herself. 'Alexander,' she pointed at me. 'Lenora… Alexander.'

'Kali,' the troll finally said. She pointed at herself. 'Kali.'

So our troll _did_ have a name!

'Come home with us!' said Lenora. Kali merely raised an eyebrow. 'Come-home-with-us. You know, Alex, we should teach her Common.'

'She's not a God forsaken pet!'

Lenora giggled. 'So? She's so cute! And don't deny it!'

'She's a troll, Lenora.'

'So what? She's still so cute! _Admit it, Alexander, you find the troll cute!_'

Her tone had become so venomous I was frightened into saying, 'Yes, the troll is cute, can we go home now?'

'Ha ha, you think the troll's cute!'

'Oh, for heaven's sake,' I rolled my eyes.

'Come on Kali!' said Lenora. 'Come home with us.'

The troll gave her a look that said, _You have got to be kidding me_.

'C'mon!' Lenora walked a few paces away and beckoned to us. 'You need some feeding up!'

'If she actually follows you,' I said. 'I owe you a gold.'

She actually followed her.

'How about instead, you buy the next round of drinks when we go to an inn?' Lenora giggled. Kali, chattering under her breath in her native tongue, stuck close to the human girl. I rolled my eyes again and followed.

This was going to be interesting.


	2. The Alcoholic Tauren

'Well,' said Lenora. 'We're home!'

It's not often you find humans living in Durotar. It's even more rare to find crazy cat ladies living there too. We suffered both. Lenora kicked a cat out of the way - the others hissed and slunk away quickly - and hammered on the front door.

'Who's there?' a shrivelled voice called out. 'If you're the Orcish repair man – ' the voice switched to Orcish, and Kali burst out laughing. ' – If you're Lenora, what the hell are you doing banging on the door like that?'

'I forgot my house key,' said Lenora.

'You did?' I said.

'Obviously.'

The voice said, 'Did Alexander forget his key?'

'No,' I said.

Lenora gave me an accusing stare. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

'You never asked.'

Lenora huffed. Our mother opened the door. She was a woman whose voice and hair betrayed her age only – aside from her white locks, she looked as young as Lenora.

'We have a house guest?' Mother looked Kali up and down, then barked something in Orcish. Kali shrugged and responded. 'Apparently she's a failed hunter. Ah well, she can have a free cat.'

Mother threw a kitten at Kali, who shrieked and almost dropped the thing. It was ash grey with numerous white spots across its back. The scary thing was, it had fangs. Kali cooed over it once she had recovered from the initial shock.

'A hunter?' I said. 'I thought she was a rogue.'

'If she was a rogue,' said Mother. 'She would have slunk after you and not walked.'

I guess Mother's cats are all rogues.

She beckoned, and we came in, the troll not far behind us. She seemed to have a liking for Lenora, and offered the mage the kitten. Giggling, Lenora stroked it. The cat hissed at her, but neither woman seemed to mind. Punting more cats out of the way, Mother made her way to the kitchen. 'Who fancies biscuits?'

Tentatively, our troll tried one. Then she actually _squeed_, and asked for another. Mother obliged.

'I think she's obsessed with those,' said Lenora.

'How did you guess?' I asked.

'I can tell by the way she's not letting us have any,' Lenora reached for a cookie, but Kali hissed at her.

'Silly girl,' Mother chuckled. She vanished into the kitchen again. I plopped myself on the sofa and started picking at some stuffing that had become loose – something had scratched the sofa, probably one of the cats. Well, not probably, more than likely. Mother's voice drifted out of the kitchen. 'You two staying the night?'

'Durotar is so freaking cold when it gets dark,' said Lenora. 'Like it can't make up its mind whether to boil or freeze me to death.'

'If I have to stay out there one more night,' I said. 'I'll probably behead the next boar that scratches the tent.'

'I'm sick of sharing one with him,' Lenora nudged me. 'He farts in the night.'

'Do not.'

'Do too.'

I ignored the next kitten to jump onto the sofa, until it made its way onto my head. I shook myself and it fell into my lap, mewing. 'Stupid cats,' I muttered.

'I heard that!' said Mother. She came out of the kitchen again with some fresh rolls, which Lenora and I wolfed down. 'Well _someone's_ hungry.'

'I'm sick of his cooking,' Lenora jabbed a finger at me. 'Always fried boar or toast.'

'At least I don't cook charcoal,' I shot back. 'And I only cook toast because you conjure bread all the time!'

'We may as well try and find as many ways as possible to cook it, now that you mention it,' said Lenora thoughtfully.

'Fried and charcoaled?' I suggested.

Lenora groaned. 'Shut up.'

'With boar meat?'

'I said shut up!'

'Lenora! Be nice to your brother!' said Mother with a sigh.

Lenora rolled her eyes. With a smirk, I stretched. 'May as well go to bed,' I said.

'It's only sundown.'

'Used to going to bed early now,' I said.

'Your bed's still where it usually is,' said Mother as I stood up and walked to my room.

'We _still_ share a room?' Lenora was incredulous. 'God, Mum! _Thanks_!'

'Don't mention it,' Mother's tone was as flat as Lenora's.

From inside my room, I screamed.

'He found our other house guest,' said Mother. Kali looked up from her biscuits and raised an eyebrow.

'What the hell is a COW doing in my BED?' I rushed into the room. Kali shot me an irritated look and Lenora threatened to explode into giggles.

'It's not a _cow_,' said Mother. 'Well, it's not an _it_ either. She's a tauren, dear.'

'Why is there a _tauren_ in my _bed_?'

It wasn't the fact that there was a Hordie in my house that bothered me. After all, Mother was nice to people of all factions – even harpies and pirates. Real pirates, not trolls that pretended to be pirates. But it was in my _bed_!

'She had too much to drink, I think,' said Mother. 'She's an alchoholic.'

There was an _alcoholic tauren passed out in my bed_!

Which was far worse than a cookie obsessed troll on the couch.

'But why is she there at all?'

'I took the poor thing in,' said Mother. 'Since you adopted a troll – '

'I didn't decide to, Lenora did!'

'Well since Lenora has a troll, why don't you have a tauren?'

Lenora finally couldn't hold her laughter in anymore. Kali grinned at her. 'C'mon, Alex!'

'But what if the Hordies plot against us?'

'I don't think so,' said Mother. 'She can't speak Orcish. Only Taurahe. I wonder if our girl here…' she asked Kali a question in Orcish, to which the troll shook her head. 'Nope, she can't speak Taurahe, so you're not likely to be plotted against.'

'Our party,' said Lenora. 'Is so demented. Half of them can't even talk to the other half.'

'You're putting up with it? Why should we take them?'

'Why not?'

I rolled my eyes. 'They're Hordies!'

'So? We're Allies!'

'They might kill us!'

'We might kill them!'

I shot a look at the troll, who stared back as if she knew what I was thinking. 'Good idea, why not?'

'Coz it's not nice.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Oh, for heaven's sake,' I said. I was _itching_ to lay my hands on the sword on my hip. Positively _itching_.

'He's got that look in his eyes,' Lenora observed.

'The murderous one?'

'Yep.'

Kali said something to Mother, who responded in kind. Kali disappeared to our bedroom.

'I think she's going to steal your bed,' I said to my sister.

'No, she's going to sleep on the floor,' said Mother. 'Can't sleep on anything soft to save her life, she said.'

I sighed. 'Guess I'll string up a hammock for myself,' I said.

'There's one in the store cupboard,' said Mother.

---

The next morning I felt strange when I woke up, forgetting for a moment that I was in a hammock and not my usual sleeping bag. I felt freezing cold – stupid Durotar nights! I peered over the edge and found that below me, my bed was empty. The tauren was up. And so was my sister, I was assured with a quick glance to the other side of the room. However Kali was still curled up in the corner on the floor, a smile on her face. I couldn't help but feel one growing on my own as I watched her sleeping form. She wasn't bad, Kali was. Just a troll. Her hair had messed up in the night – had she been tossing and turning? – and a red lock had drifted over her blue face.

Blue with red hair. All bloody trolls looked the same. With a huff, I tried to lower myself out of my hammock, but failed and fell to the floor with a loud _thud_ that woke Kali with such a start she drew her dagger and had it pressed against my neck before she realised she was even awake. By the time she realised, she was apologising profusely in Orcish (at least, I _think_ she was) and sheathing her dagger with a guilty grimace. Her face had turned a purpleish tinge in colour. A blush? I laughed and her face deepened even further, letting me only laugh harder.

'Quit making fun of her!' my sister had entered the room. I bet this was a strange sight to be greeted with! That thought sent me into howls. 'Someone's in a good mood!'

Trying to control myself, I stood up. Beside me the troll was brushing her front down, still embarrassed. 'She's cute when she's embarrassed.'

'Glad you think so,' said Lenora with a smirk.

'Where's the tauren?'

Lenora whimpered. Actually _whimpered_. I knew that whenever she whimpered, it was time to fear for my life. 'She's… scary.'

I heard a high pitched squeal coming from the living room.

'Is that her?'

Lenora cringed and nodded. Kali paled, the colour being sucked out of her face like water down a drain.

'That's her.'

We made our way to the living room to see the tauren picking up as many cats as possible. She had cats under her arms, a few draped over her massive shoulders, and even a couple on top of her head. She was crying out the same word in Taurahe over and over again.

The _heck_?

Kali snapped at her in Orcish. The tauren stopped for a second and looked at her blankly.

Kali groaned and buried her head in her hands. Poor girl, I couldn't help but think. At least _she_ was sane. Her kitten followed us into the room and rubbed against her ankles. Kali smiled at it, picking it up. 'Ash,' she said.

The tauren squealed as soon as it caught sight of Kali's cat. Kali made a panicked sound and clutched the kitten to her breast. The tauren promptly dropped all of her cats and came over to Kali, making whimpering noises.

Kali arched an eyebrow. _What the hell is she on about?_

The tauren tentatively petted the cat. Kali looked amused. I worried for the cat.

'Peacebloom,' said the tauren, pointing at herself.

'Is that her name?' I asked.

Lenora shrugged. 'Probably.'

'Kali,' said Kali. She then pointed at Lenora and I. 'Lenora, Alexander. Alexie!' she giggled.

I groaned. '_Gods_ no!'

'Lexie,' Kali tested. Then she nodded. 'Lexie. Lex.'

Lenora sniggered. She started singing. '_You have a crappy nicknaa-aaame! You have a crappy nicknaa-aaame!_'

'Shut up!' I bellowed at her with embarrassment. I winced.

'Lenny,' said Kali.

I promptly burst out laughing. Beside me, "Lenny" fumed.

And that was the day our names had changed.

---

Well, that chapter was so fun to write! Except it got a bit hard to keep going, but thankfully it has more words and is better than the last chapter! I don't think we got off to a good start, eh?

Don't worry – the undead'll come in soon! Just gotta wait, eh?


	3. Dig Up Your Cousin For Me, Will You?

YES! Sorry it took so long, but wouldn't let me upload documents for the longest time and linked me to a support site which didn't exist. So thanks for the reviews (And the hilarious flame that totally made my day, and I'm not kidding either.), here's the next part! And don't worry, there IS some seriousness. I hope this chapter explains a little more.

---

Our mother sharply told us to sit down and shut up. Her tone was suddenly serious and once again, I was scared for my life in such a way that I sat down so quickly my ass was sore. Beside me, Lenora was quivering slightly. Not good. The troll tried to sit on me until I shoved her off. Making indignant noises, she crossed her legs and settled with the floor at my feet.

'I think she likes you,' said "Lenny".

The tauren squealed, sitting beside the troll and throwing her arms around Kali's neck. Kali had a look of long suffering that I couldn't help but snigger at. She looked daggers at me. _Remind me to kick your ass_, that look said. I clammed up wisely.

'Well, I have something to say,' said Mother. She said something in Orcish, and Kali raised an eyebrow.

'Really?' said Lenny with the same expression.

Our Mother kept going, translating each sentence into Orcish when she had done with the Common. 'Back when in the days when the Scourge had invaded Lordaeron, as you both know, we had our cousin Xanthium living with us. As you also know, she fell to the plague.'

I remembered Xanthium. Because of her bad hair days, we often called her Cousin Itt. It was Mother who had started it, muttering something about "TV shows" (which neither me nor Lenora understood) and crazy families. Xanthium had been a cheery woman of twenty three who was almost always optimistic. She had a slight sadistic streak, however, and Lenora and I were always afraid of going into her room because her collection of skulls, unlike so many others, were _real_ and were those of her victims. Her room had also been booby trapped extensively. You have no idea what hassle we went through to remove the body. But both Lenora and I had adored Xanthium, when she wasn't homicidal.

'She was buried in the Brill cemetery, as you both know,' said Mother. 'And buried with her was an important, enchanted family heirloom. I want you to get it back for me.'

There was an awkward silence.

'Mum,' said Lenora. 'Did you just ask us to dig our cousin up in the middle of what is now horde territory – right by a Forsaken town, no less – to get back a damned piece of jewellery?'

'It's got a cat on it!' squealed Mother.

Oh god. Lenora groaned beside me.

'Does it _do_ anything?' I asked. 'You surely can't be asking for us to risk our asses for something that doesn't do anything!'

'It's enchanted,' said Mother. 'One of its... ah... side effects is that it turns things purple. So if Xanthium's corpse – '

'Please!' I croaked.

Mother rolled her eyes. 'You're a big boy now Alex, surely you can stand dead bodies. So if Xanthium's corpse is purple, don't be alarmed. Actually, if I make a living selling purple cats, we might raise enough money to move back to Stormwind. That's just another benefit.'

'I thought you liked it here?' I asked.

'Not really,' said Mother with a snort. 'I'm sick of negociating with the orcs just so our village isn't razed to the ground. Honestly, we're just trying to mine here! There are a couple of other Orcish speakers here, they'll be fine if we leave. They seem to think I'm the biggest threat out of everyone.'

'Maybe it's all the cats,' I said.

'Actually, one thought I was making a cat army. I'm serious.'

'Fine, we'll get your damned cat thing,' said Lenora, cutting us off. 'But if we come back with angry Forsaken on our trail, don't expect us to be happy.'

Mother looked pleased. 'Thank you so much Lenora. I truly appreciate it!'

Now she was being _sincere_.

I gaped at my sister. 'Whaddya mean, _we_?'

'You're coming with me,' said Lenny. 'Or I fireball your ass _right now_.'

'It's going to be a long journey,' I said, deciding that going with her would be best. 'Do we go through Ratchet and Stranglethorn Vale, or Auberdine and Menethil?'

'We could sneak onto the zep,' said Lenny. 'That cuts tonnes of the journey off.'

'What, in front of two capital Horde cities? _No way!_'

'There's Theramore. It goes to Menethil too, and it's much closer.'

'I think we're better off travelling through Alliance territory.'

'Not with a tauren and a troll with us,' said Lenny.

'What, they're coming? But - '

Mother glared at me as if daring me to argue. I started again.

'So how the hell are we going to get them onto the boat?' I laughed sceptically.

'The troll has those savoury deviate delights, remember?' said Lenny.

I blinked. 'Oh.'

'Easy,' said Lenny. 'As long as she and the tauren keep quiet when we're in the city, we'll be fine.'

In front of us on the floor, the tauren cooed and cuddled Kali, who had a deathly glare on her face.

'Somehow, I think we'll have to bribe Peacebloom to shut up,' I said. 'Honestly, what makes you think they'll come?'

'When I was talking to Kali,' Mother emphasised every word as if speaking to an impatient child. 'She said she had nothing better to do. She's a hunter too, you may as well teach her to become a better one.'

'I'm a _warrior!_' I said.

'So? You can still operate a bow and arrow!'

I sighed. 'Fine,' I said. 'Let's go.'

---

Getting to Theramore was easier than we thought, though we had to stop at an oasis in the Barrens to fish for deviates. We had communicated with a simple waving of swords and some, 'Yarrr!'s, and Kali had understood, cooking the delights and wrapping them in leaves. They would keep for a long time.

We had taken turns fishing, since after a while Kali had become bored, which we had discovered was... rather destructive. She had bitten her nails past bleeding, and now had the tips bandaged. I decided to teach her how to use a bow and arrow them, though judging by the look on the troll's face, it was quite painful, yet she didn't complain. At the end of the long day she ate a delight and transformed into a ninja, but not for long.

'It only lasts an hour?' I asked when she turned back into a troll with a blink of surprise. Peacebloom screamed. She hated it when the troll shape shifted, but the druid herself would frequently become a cat or bear and run around in circles, annoying the hell out of Kali. Those two did _not_ get on well, and would frequently and randomly launch themselves at each other and fight. Lenny had gotten used to "Frost bolting their asses".

'She's got plenty,' my sister assured me.

Peacebloom and Kali had a delight each just before we were in sight of Theramore. I kept an eye on the sun, planning to prompt them when another would need to be eaten. As predicted, Peacebloom had a fit when she became a human ninja and her screams could probably be heard in Outland. Nonetheless Lenny dragged her after us, and Kali the human pirate walked passively beside me.

'Hello Lexie,' she said. After a week of travelling together, Kali had learnt basic common words aside from, "Fooled ya".

'Hello Kali,' I said.

'Theramore?' asked the troll, pointing forwards. I could see the keep peeping over the walls, and the tower looming over us.

'Yep, that's Theramore,' I said.

Kali was silent for a moment. 'Big?'

'Medium,' I said, guessing she meant the size of the city. At her puzzled look, I said. 'Not big, not small.'

'No big, no small?'

'Yes,' I said with a nod. 'Medium.'

'Medium,' Kali tested the word in her mouth and decided she liked it. 'Medium!'

'Stay quiet,' I said to her in a warning tone. 'We don't want any problems.'

'Quiet?' Kali cocked her head.

'Yes, quiet. Shhh.'

'Yes!' said Kali. She was definitely a quick learner, unlike Peacebloom, who could not understand a single word in Common yet, let alone Orcish. Then again, the tauren didn't seem to be buggered at all.

When we were waiting at the docks a few people commented on the deviates. 'Gotta love em, eh?' they said with a wink. Kali then glanced at the sun and ate another, shoving one into Peacebloom's hands. Peacebloom shrieked and dropped it – inspiring laughter – then, upon realising what it was, picked it up and ate it. It wasn't long until we saw another person who had eaten a deviate – like Kali, she was a pirate, and a quiet one at that. Unlike the troll, she leered in our direction. It unnerved poor Kali, who bickered with Peacebloom in pushes and shoves. Someone said, 'It's like pirates versus ninjas all over again.' Lenora grabbed Peacebloom, shushing her, and I laid a restraining hand on Kali's arm. The troll relaxed immediately at my touch.

The pirate continued glaring at us, until she finally pulled out a pipe and placed it in her mouth – out of habit most likely, since she didn't even bother to do anything else with it. Lenny offered her a light, conjuring a tiny flame above a finger. The woman was surprised, but accepted, giving a gruff, yet familiar sounding, 'Thank you.'

'No problem,' Lenny smiled, then, at the sound of a splash, went to rescue Peacebloom from being drowned by Kali. When she saw me looking at her, the blonde pirate leered at me, puffing on her pipe. I quickly averted my eyes.

When the boat finally arrived, Lenny paid for all of us, going below decks. 'The journey'll take a night,' she said. 'I've done this before.'

'So have I,' I growled. 'No need to tell me.'

'For their benefit,' Lenny nodded her head at Peacebloom and Kali. Kali was looking venomously at Peacebloom's throat, her hands twitching. Peacebloom was merely taking everything in with wide eyes.

'Not like they can – '

'Shh,' said Lenny. She looked around, and I remembered all the humans around us. 'Cover up,' she whispered. 'Just pretend they can understand us, alright?'

I nodded.

We found a bar room and a table. Peacebloom and Kali sat quietly, fidgeting, and Lenora and I talked under our breath for a moment before running out of things to say. Lenora disappeared for a drink, as the pirate came in – I almost looked right over her, and would not have seen her if it weren't for her coinciding with Lenora in my vision, though across the room. I watched her carefully. She trod lightly on her feet, I noticed. Not a warrior like me, then. Possibly a rogue? Judging by the way that despite her outrageous costume, few people noticed her, she was. Two daggers at her hips too. Yes, definitely a rogue.

'There you go, Lex!' Lenora had returned, and I was distracted by the mage for a split second, before searching the room. No, the rogue had vanished. 'A pinot noir!'

'Thanks Lenny,' I said. I watched her pass out the drinks. 'Sure it's wise to let Peacebloom have some?' I smirked.

Peacebloom sniffed her drink suspiciously. Kali didn't even look at hers, staring at a point in the room, bored.

'Where are you folks headed?'

I jumped and looked behind me. It was the rogue. 'Bloody hell, you gave me a fright!' I said.

'Lex, be a bit more polite!' Lenora rolled her eyes. 'Who are you?'

'A traveller,' said the rogue evasively. 'You goin' to Stormwind or somethin'?'

She had a strange accent that I'd never heard before. Perhaps she was from Westfall? No, Westfall people sounded more… Westfall-y. It was a pity she was not in her true form or I could have used her appearance to guess. Then again, she was a rogue – she probably had a few different personas and accents to match underneath, though to use a deviate recipe was a little desperate.

'Orcish,' Kali said suddenly.

The rogue raised an eyebrow and looked at her. 'Pardon me?'

Kali didn't blink. 'Sounds Orcish.'

So _that_ was her accent!

The rogue snorted. 'I'm from Ashenvale,' she said. 'We deal with orcs all the time.'

A human living in Ashenvale? That was rare. But we couldn't complain – we lived on the border of Durotar, after all, smack bang beside the Barrens. That was even rarer. There were few people in our simple mining village.

'You're a spy?' I asked, trying to draw attention away from the troll. 'That's the only way you'd pick it up.'

'Yep,' said the pirate after a moment.

'Rogue, right?'

The pirate nodded. 'I know a bit of Orcish too,' she said. She said something in the language, and Kali sat up straighter, eyes wide. The rogue looked at her, unconcerned.

'I'd stay quiet, little one,' she said. 'If I were you.'

At the word _quiet_, Kali nodded very slightly.

'What on earth did you say?' I asked.

'Nothing important.'

'Hmm,' was Lenny's only comment. 'Want to sit down?'

'Thank you,' said the rogue, seating herself between me and Peacebloom. Kali and I exchanged looks across the table. 'Those two are quiet,' she observed.

'Shy,' said Lenora.

'Names?' asked the rogue.

'I'm Alex,' I said.

'Lenora,' said Lenny. 'And these are Kali and Peacebloom.'

'Unusual names,' said the rogue.

'What's your name?'

'Violet,' said the rogue quickly. 'Violet Pelegie. Where did you say you were headed?'

Lenora and I exchanged glances. 'Southshore,' I finally said. It was near enough.

'These two going with you?'

'Yes,' said Lenora.

'Mind if I come with you? I'm headed there myself.'

There was silence.

'I don't see why not,' said Lenora slowly. 'Could use more company.'

I shot her a glare.

'Right on the edge of Forsaken territory, Southshore is,' said Violet.

'Pity what Lordaeron's become,' I said. 'I miss it. Used to live in what they call Deathknell now, with our family and cousin.'

Lenny giggled at the mention of Xanthium.

'Are one of these girls her?' asked Violet.

'No,' sighed Lenora. 'She died of the plague before we sailed to Kalimdor with Lady Proudmoore.'

'You'd be lucky if she didn't become one of the scourge.'

I shuddered. Our beloved Xanthi, Cousin Itt, one of the scourge…

'She'd have fun killing things,' said Lenora.

'Len!'

'What? It's true! She was a homicidal maniac! Used to keep dead squirrels in her room.'

I couldn't help but smile. Violet stared at Lenora blankly.

'Must've caused an interesting smell,' said she.

'You get used to it after a while,' said Lenora. 'She was nice, though. Have you been in Lordaeron? I suppose so, since you're from Kalimdor.'

'Yes,' said Violet. 'I've been there since the Forsaken took over too.'

'Risky,' said Lenny.

'Indeed,' said Violet. 'They're paranoid creatures. But it was not hard for me to learn to walk among them. A little Orcish helps. Just pretend to be dead and you're in. You never have to worry about overdoing it with the make up.'

'What about the glowing eyes?'

Violet yawned. 'Enchantments. Easy. I have a touch of magic at my disposal, not all rogues are ignorant. I fake dead bodies all the time, actually.'

Lenora laughed.

Kali leered at Violet, who ignored her.

'I think we might turn in,' said Lenora, yawning. 'It's nearly dark.'

'Good habit,' said Violet. 'Lots of sleep helps. Keep your door locked if you can, I've noticed a few shady types around.'

_She_ would know, I thought to myself. In any case, I was glad to get away, draining the rest of my pinot noir in one quick motion and deciding that I'd talk to Lenora about our new companion. Peacebloom and Kali stood up as soon as they saw my sister and I do the same.

'Goodnight,' said Lenora. Violet didn't move from her seat save to give us a nod, and as we left for our cabin I noticed her sit there, as if in disbelief, deep in thought.

When we were around the corner I hissed at my sister, 'What were you thinking, letting her come with us? The delights can't last forever!'

'We can always leave her behind,' said Lenny. 'And it was rude not to say yes.'

'_Rude not to say yes?_'

'We'll be fine, Lex.'

'I hope so,' I said.

'Besides, I think she knows Xanthium.'

I looked at her. 'What on earth gives you that idea?'

'_Are one of these girls her?_' Lenora imitated Violet. 'We hadn't even mentioned that Xanthium's a woman by then – all we'd said was _our cousin_. And she came over to us, a rogue, but she didn't know our names. Perhaps she saw a family resemblance, maybe she knew Xanthi only by sight. Why would a rogue come to us for no reason?'

_That_ was certainly something to think about us.

'Then why did she ask us if one of the Hordies was her, if that's true?'

Lenora shrugged. 'I don't know,' she said honestly. 'It was just a theory.'

We found our room and locked our door behind us, just on time – the delights had suddenly worn off, and in front of us a troll and a squealing tauren stood. 'No more,' I said to Kali. 'We need to save them.'

She nodded. The "no" was enough for her to understand – and in any case, Peacebloom didn't look like she wanted to eat one if we shoved it down her throat. I smiled at the troll, and her face lit up in response.

'Time to hit the sack,' I said, looking at our hammocks.

---

The Forsaken hissed under her breath quietly, slipping into shadows as two laughing humans passed her – females. She rolled her eyes. They thought they were so great. Pity they were in a pair, or she would have offed one of them. Perhaps she could take them both…? No. One of them might scream in the split second between her companion being murdered and her _own_ life leaving her body.

Below her, in the ship, the party was still going on. The Forsaken couldn't stand it – so many people! So many humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes and even a pair of draenei! Yet she could blend in, even as a corpse. Her body had barely deteriorated – the only sign of her undeath was her pale, clammy skin and her glowing eyes. Perhaps if she tried hard enough she could pass for a half night elf, if she bothered to correct her posture. But she hadn't risked it. Shape shifting was easier.

But after a suspicious group of four humans had left the party, she had decided to follow them. She could hear a squeal as their door closed behind them. That wasn't a human squeal, but she couldn't identify it. Perhaps a gnome, who had been waiting in the room for them? A group of five. Interesting.

The Forsaken was incredibly wary of two of the humans. One was obviously as paranoid as the undead was herself – though with the blunder of the girl they had sat with not ten minutes before the present moment, the Forsaken was not surprised. The paranoid one had to go. With any luck, she would leave her room in the night and be quickly disposed of. If not, she could easily slip inside and erase her life with little problem, provided they were all asleep. Hopefully her mouth had stayed shut.

But for now, she had to go after other prey. She wanted to have ten victims before dawn came. Killing things gave her an escape from worries, giving her something to focus on, giving her adrenaline and thrill. At least there was no risk of those ever becoming undead, like herself. Those were the words she used to ease her guilty conscience.

The Forsaken frowned as her thoughts drifted back to the group of humans.

_Violet_ would have to be more careful. The girl had said too much. _Oh, I have a touch of magic. Oh, I speak Orcish. Oh, I spy for the Alliance._ Surely the Allies would pick up the girl's mistakes? Even Ally rogues knew better than to spill their guts all the time.

The Forsaken hoped that she'd keep her mouth shut next time. And travelling with them... that would be risky.

_Extremely_ risky...


	4. Drat

Here we go, a new chapter! Hope I didn't make any mistakes with the flash powder – if I did, let me know and I'll correct it. Trying to find that bit where I made Kali shorter than Alex (that was stupid, oops) and I'll correct that too, thanks for pointing that out! And thanks for the reviews too! (For some reason I didn't get them by mail.)

On to the story!

---

I woke up, blinking slowly, feeling strangely peaceful and refreshed. Perhaps it was the swaying and the lulling of the boat? Speaking of which, it made me want to fall back to sleep… speaking of _falling_, I was half out of the hammock.

I sat up quickly, almost hitting the floor with a thud, a certain someone up.

'The hell are you doing in my hammock?'

The troll blinked up at me, murmured something and snuggled back down.

'The heck is wrong with your own?' I looked at her incredulously.

She responded in Orcish.

'Wow, thanks, that tells me a lot.'

'Shut up, Alex,' I heard Lenora say from her hammock.

'The troll tried to kick me out of my bed!'

Lenora propped herself up on her elbows as best as she could manage. She raised an eyebrow at the sight – Kali was trying to shove me out of _my own hammock_. 'Yep,' she said after a minute. 'She definitely likes you.'

'The heck, Lenny?' I said. 'Tell her to get out!'

'_I_ can't speak Orcish,' Lenora smirked and set herself down again.

'Forsaken,' said Kali suddenly.

'Hmm?' I looked over at her. She swung her legs over the other edge of the hammock – a bad idea, she almost fell out, and once her weight was gone _I_ did. She stood herself up on the floorboards, looking troubled, staring down at the floor.

'Violet Forsaken,' she said.

Len looked at me, startled.

'I was wondering where her accent came from,' she said. 'She's going to Southshore, too…'

'In that direction, at least,' I said.

'She must have a lot of deviate fish if she's willing to risk travelling with us,' said Lenora.

'She said she knows a bit of magic, remember?' I said. 'Should we confront her…?'

Lenny shook her head. 'Not now,' she said. 'Play along. Could be risky if she found out.'

'Thanks Kali,' I said to the troll. She looked down at me at the mention of her name. 'Thanks,' I said again. She smiled at me. I hoped she understood.

---

We found "Violet" in the room where the party had been. She looked extremely nervous, like something had scared her.

'Eleven murders in the night!' she piped as soon as she saw us. She glanced at Kali, who swallowed nervously and clutched me, and Peacebloom. 'They've swapped places,' she noted. Peacebloom was the pirate now, and Kali's new human form was dressed all in black.

'_Eleven?_' Lenny was incredulous. 'You have got to be joking. That's a third of the freaking passengers!'

Kali gripped my arm tightly. At her ankles, her cat mewed pitifully – it was growing quickly.

'Nope, I'm not,' Violet took in a tentative, deep breath. 'They say there's a rogue aboard ship, sneaking around and killing things.'

I had no doubts as to who it was, if Kali's reaction to Violet was anything to go by. 'When do we dock?' I asked.

'Couple of hours, thank the gods,' Violet closed her eyes tightly. 'Can't wait to be off. I'm all packed already,' she gestured to the bag at her feet.

Kali stared at it thoughtfully. She leaned into me. 'Drink?' she said. 'Violet drink?'

'What?' I whispered back.

'Violet drink,' she said.

'You mean offer her one?'

'Violet drink!'

I grunted under my breath.

'No look that,' she nodded at the pack. Violet's eyes were closed and she was taking deep breaths. Plainly the girl was stressed. Unusual behaviour for a Forsaken – then again, I had never encountered one, so how would I know?

Did Kali want me to distract her? I couldn't tell, with her atrocious Common.

'Maybe you need a drink, Violet,' I said, hoping that was the case. Violet looked up at me without a smile.

'Most likely I do,' she said.

'Come to the bar with me, then.'

The room was full of murmuring people, feeling much more empty than the night before. We pushed our way through, the Forsaken and I, and ordered a pinot noir for both of us. We weren't the only ones drinking, I noticed. The stench of alcohol was far more powerful than the night before.

'I'll pay,' I said. Violet simply nodded. I noticed she had left her pack by the wall – and Kali was rooting through it. I swiftly looked away.

'So what are you doing in Southshore?' I asked her.

Violet shrugged. 'Just decided I needed to go somewhere new,' she said. 'I can't stay in one place for long, I like travelling and variety. I want to go over there and see the sights, get a part time job, see how that goes. You?'

I shrugged. 'Mainly for memory's sake,' I said. 'Maybe sneak around Tirisfal and Silverpine – ' D'oh! _Idiot_, don't tell the _Forsaken_ that! ' – had some relatives that died there, want to see their graves. Pity they're guarded by undead everywhere.'

'Who knows?' shrugged Violet. 'Maybe all your relatives are undead.'

I shuddered. Xanthium, an undead! I wondered if her cheery outlook would last long. Most likely they would nurture the sadism in her.

Peacebloom joined us at the bar.

'What'll it be?' asked the barman.

Peacebloom stared at him blankly.

'Pinot noir for her,' I said.

I couldn't wait until we were at Menethil.

---

We found Lenora and Kali where we had left them. Kali's hands were in her pockets, and Lenora was moody, but the troll looked slightly pleased. Making an involuntary hissing noise, Violet retrieved her pack and looked through it.

Then she pressed her lips together, did the pack up and hoisted it onto her back.

'How long until we get there?'

'Few hours,' Lenora groaned. 'I'm so damn bored.'

'Can't wait until we get there,' murmured Violet, her face like thunder.

---

Over the next hour I noticed Violet grow more and more agitated. She started snapping at us whenever we talked to her, and could not stop leering at Kali, who would just blink back in feigned confusion. She started pacing up the hallway, then return to the room, rinse and repeat.

Finally she tossed her head with a snarl and left for good.

'Think she's changed back?' murmured Lenora.

I nodded mutely.

'Should we go look for her?'

'Are you joking?' I shot back. 'She's probably the one who murdered all those people!'

'No,' Lenora shook her head. 'She was too nervous. Can't be.'

'Hmm,' I said. 'Should we alert the others?'

'She'd be hunted down and killed. Come on, have _some_ compassion.'

'You have to be joking,' I said. Then I remembered our two companions and snorted. 'Horde lover.'

'Shut up.'

'Our packs are in our rooms,' I realised.

'Crap,' said Lenora. 'I don't fancy facing Violet, or a serial killer.'

'Or both.'

'Come with me.'

'Can't leave these two here,' I said.

'They'll come with us,' said Lenny. 'Kali! Peacebloom!'

Kali looked up nonchalantly and came over, Peacebloom bouncing behind her. Kali looked around for her cat and realised it hadn't followed her. 'Ash!' she called. 'Ash!'

The cat trotted to her side. With relief, Kali sighed and stroked it. She seemed scared for it – probably the hunter in her, I realised.

Why was I focusing so much on the troll? With a frown, I followed Lenora.

---

The Forsaken was _extremely_ pissed off. Violet had failed, and Kali was still alive. The Forsaken had made a mistake the night before – she had underestimated the troll. For a troll Kali was, sleeping in her hammock so innocently. The Forsaken had not made a single sound, yet the troll had still sensed her presence, jerking upright in her "bed". As soon as she had, the Forsaken had the presence of mind to stealth straight back into her environment. Instead of thinking it was a dream like she had hoped, Kali went to the human male and curled up beside him. She was safe there, and she knew it.

Providing the human male did not murder her for the Forsaken as soon as he woke up.

Drat.

The relationship between Kali and the human male was _curious_. Why had the troll crept to his side if she hadn't felt secure there? That was _stupid_. They didn't even communicate, from what the Forsaken had seen – yet Kali had constantly flicked casual glances at him, as if to reassure herself he was alive, and vice versa. The human had not stirred when Kali kicked at him to make room – indeed, he had smiled slightly in his sleep! The Forsaken had almost snorted with disbelief. It wasn't like Alexander. At all.

Then again… it had been a long time. Alexander was no longer a teenager. Lenora was no longer a little girl. She would be… what, sixteen now? Seventeen? The Forsaken had almost failed to recognise her.

And now she was extremely pissed.

She could hide until the boat docked, but her disappearance would be noticed, and it would be searched for what they thought was Violet Pelegie's body. Instead they'd find a miffed Forsaken hiding in their storage compartment. Now that would be _some surprise_.

She needed to kill something. _Now_. It would make her feel _much_ better. Preferably the troll. Yes, murdering the troll would relax her.

If only the troll wasn't always guarded by that tauren druid, the mage and the warrior! The Forsaken hissed. She needed her deviate delights back. And the hunter had them.

That was it. She couldn't wait anymore. She slipped into stealth with ease, and slunk up the stairs without so much as a creak. She found the party in their room, the door wide open. The Forsaken wasn't even noticed as she carefully entered, making sure to step on the floorboards where there were nails – and below that, support. There was a significantly smaller chance of creaking if she stepped close to those.

No one had heard her enter except the cat, whose ears pricked up. The stupid nightsaber stalker kitten. Ash, was it? Yes, that was his name. Ash lifted his head and looked around the room.

'You okay, Ash?' said Kali in Orcish. Ash licked his nose as the troll – looking very ninja-y – ruffled his head. Five people in one room – and no gnomes, much to the Forsaken's relief. She carefully looked around. There were three exits, but only one would be good – two were open windows, and the Forsaken could not be sure if she would be able to climb out of them without falling overboard.

Five against one. She could only sap one at a time. Gouging lasted two seconds. She had poisons and powder on hand. Maybe she could try slip the cat something poisonous… that was her only direct threat at the moment. That, and the troll was suspicious.

Or maybe the Forsaken should just swipe her delights and get out. The package was there, beside someone's pack. She could steal all of theirs too. _That'd_ teach the bastards. She knew limited magic as well, and perhaps fake Violet's death with what she knew. That would also get them! They knew that the Forsaken, Violet and the murderer were the one and same – or, at least, the troll did. But being the only one in the entire party that could speak Orcish, there was not much she could do. Aunt Agatha spoke Orcish, the Forsaken remembered.

Now was _not_ the time to get distracted! She resisted the urge to hiss, and scoped out the room, noting the locations of everyone. The tauren was squealing and hugging her knees, on a hammock. She was the furtherest from the door, and Lenora was the opposite, by the entrance and talking with Alexander in Common.

And a metre away from the Forsaken was the troll. She was closer to the undead than her allies, but she had the cat with her. If the cat wasn't there, the Forsaken would have risked grabbing the girl and running. As it was, she could have been extremely sloppy and given her a quick backstab, before slipping back into stealth, but the cat could see through stealth… and was staring right at her in the eyes.

_Drat_.

The Forsaken considered moving, but then realised that would be a stupid idea. Kali was more likely to take notice of her pet following something invisible in the room than staring at nothing.

It was hard. Perhaps the Forsaken should try later – her need to kill was dying down. No; if she passed this chance, she might not get another.

That stupid cat! If it wasn't there, the troll would be dead already!

Miracle of miracles – the cat had gotten up and walked over to the tauren! This was _brilliant!_ After waiting a moment to make sure that the troll wouldn't move, the Forsaken reached into her pouch, pulled out a closed fist, and threw flash powder on the ground.

It took only a second to stab the troll and slip back into stealth. Kali cried out.

'Shit, I can't see!' said Alex, rubbing his eyes.

'Lex!' groaned Kali.

'Kali! The heck happened?' The Taurahe came from Peacebloom – no doubt. A stroke of bad luck – the tauren had her eyes closed when the flashpowder had been thrown. 'Shit, are you alright?' Peacebloom laid her hands on the troll, and in a minute the troll had been healed.

Drat.

If only they could understand her, the Forsaken thought with a smirk. She _acted_ hyper, but she certainly didn't show it when someone was in danger – though in a world she couldn't understand a thing, perhaps it was no wonder.

'Violet!' called out Lenora as her sight returned. The Forsaken stirred herself and made a dash for the door – too late! Lenora had slammed it shut. Trying not to growl, the Forsaken stealthed towards the windows, but Alexander was standing in front of them.

Drat.

Today was _not_ her day.

'Forsaken!' challenged Kali. 'Come out!'

The undead reached into her pouch.

Drat.

No more flash powder left. She had been so careless!

'Violet!' said Lenora again. 'I know you're there, Violet Pelegie!'

All at once, everyone slowly looked at the cat. Who was, once again, staring at the Forsaken.

_How many "Drat"s is that now?_ Thought the Forsaken, rolling her eyes. The party were all squinting in the air where she was. If she moved –

Oh, she'd have to use manipulation. It was a pity that Lenora and Alex had to find out this way – she dashed forward, slipping out of stealth, and in one fluid motion was behind Lenora with a dagger pressed tightly against her throat.

'Want another dead relative?' she asked. 'Unlike me, this one won't come back.'

Alex's jaw dropped open.

'Violet!' when Lenora said the name, the Forsaken pressed the dagger closer. She felt blood drip onto the blade.

'That's… not… Violet,' said Alex slowly.

'You know me by that name,' said the Forsaken in Common. 'But that wasn't the first one you knew me by. Don't you remember, little Lenny?'

'Fuck,' said Kali and Peacebloom at once, in two different languages.

'I don't know any Forsaken!' said Lenora, struggling to get the words out with the blade against her skin.

'Xanthium,' said Kali. 'Let her go.'

Lenora gaped at the troll. 'What did she just say?'

Alexander visibly cringed.

'See? The troll's not even related to me and she recognises me,' the Forsaken rolled her eyes. 'Now, it's a pity I have to get away or I'd make the twelfth kill in twelve hours – not a bad rate, if I do say so myself – but I'm going to make the traditional threat. Let me go, and I'll let your baby sister go.'

'Give her back, Xanthium,' said Alexander in a dark tone.

'Xanthi…'

'Shut up, Lenora,' hissed Xanthium. Honestly, how could the human even _speak_ with the steel against her so tightly? Perhaps… yes, that was it, and Lenora's choke verified her. The flat of her blade was pressed so tightly to the girl's throat that she was pawing at it. 'Are you all going to let me go or not?'

Alexander sighed. 'Fine. Just give her back.'

'Done,' Xanthium shoved her cousin forward and in less than a second later had sprinted out of the door and into stealth.

Finally. Safe.


	5. Let's Set the Forsaken On Fire!

_Thanks, Xanthium_, was all I could think. The remaining eighteen passengers of the boat were all being kept in a room and interviewed extensively. They were all nervous, as if they were guilty of the crimes that I _knew_ my homicidal cousin was behind. A man, a dwarf, and twenty other guards were overseeing this. It was a state of emergency. Ten people had already been interviewed and found innocent, and at any moment they could choose Peacebloom or Kali. I was shocked they still had not interrogated Lenny or I – after all, we were the last people who had seen Violet Pelegie alive, and she had vanished. Some people knew instantly she was the killer, though some recalled her shock and nervousness, thinking it made her innocent. A guilty conscience, others would rebut.

If there was one thing I would learn to hate, it's when certain cousins go on killing sprees. It had been twenty-four hours since we had seen the Forsaken, and there had been one or more murders per hour since, including horses of all things! We were stuffed. Or Xanthium was. Or all of us. Peacebloom and Kali would be discovered - our deviates had almost run out, the Hordies had eaten over _fifty_ – and we would be killed as traitors to the Alliance.

Why they didn't go after Mother in Durotar was beyond me.

Beside me, Peacebloom slipped another deviate into her mouth. Her form did not change, to my relief. The last thing we wanted was attention, but when Kali ate one and transformed from a pirate into a ninja, she was immediately spotted and volunteered to be next.

Shit.

They pulled her into the chair, and conjured a fireball above her face – intimidation tactics. She could not see the dwarf and man who interviewed her, and squinted trying to make them out. Poor Kali.

"What's your name?" the man barked.

She blinked. It took a minute, but they keyword "Name" was registered into Kali's head, and she said. "Kali."

"Kali who?" said the dwarf.

"Kali," said Kali. I could see her tense from metres away, and everyone watched in rapture.

"Kali Firemist," I volunteered. "I'm sorry, she can't speak much except for basic words. Mental thing." I twirled my finger around my ear to indicate craziness.

The dwarf frowned. "What about her comprehension?"

"Her communication skills are incredibly poor," Lenora was quick to jump on the wagon. "She can only understand certain words in sentences, and even then it's limited. Dropped on the head as an infant, see, hasn't been the same since."

The dwarf hissed under his breath, and the human rolled his eyes.

Kali blinked at them nervously.

"She knows she's being scrutinised."

"Of course she does," I snapped. "You're waving a freaking fireball in her face."

The man guiltily put it out. Kali relaxed, but only slightly. Ash crawled underneath her chair.

"So she is a night elf?" he blinked. "Or a dwarf?"

"What gives you that idea?" said Lenora.

"She's our sister," I said, then realised my mistake – Firemist wasn't our last name.

"Then what's with the cat?" asked the dwarf. "She's a hunter."

"It just follows her around," I said honestly. "Mother – our Mother – gave it to her. Kali likes animals, understands them better than humans."

"Why does she eat those deviates?"

I shrugged. "She likes them."

Beside me, Lenora was silent. I wished she would help!

"Cancel your form," the dwarf snapped at Kali, who merely cocked her head.

First mistake. Humans rarely did that. I saw the man's eyes flash – he was quick to observe this.

"She's like Ash, isn't she?" I said quickly. "Imitates him all the time. The cat, I mean."

The mage did nothing but nod slightly. He was still suspicious, staring into Kali's eyes. Kali gazed back softly, before her eyes dropped to the ground.

Then he spoke in another language, and Kali's head jerked up quickly, her eyes widening in understanding.

Second mistake, and this time it was enough. The mage smirked. "Seems we have some traitors in our midst."

"What?" I said defensively as the room's eyes swivelled to Lenny, Peacebloom and I. "What was that?"

"Orcish," said the dwarf. "She understood it perfectly, I can see that."

"I can assure you," I said. "She's been with us all this time, we would know if she was a traitor."

"It doesn't matter if she's guilty of the original crime," said the dwarf as the man talked to Kali in Orcish. "She is still part of the Horde, and will be… eliminated."

Then Kali fainted, falling forward and hitting the floor hard. Everyone stood still for a minute, in shock, until I finally rushed to her side and rolled her over. "Kali?" I said. Behind me I heard another _thud_ – a much louder, deeper one - before Lenora came to us and fanned Kali's face.

"Shit," was all she said. The dwarf stared dumbly at us, unsure how to react.

"Great," said the mage. "The other one's fainted too."

I craned my neck to see Peacebloom on the floor, only moving to breathe.

"I'll take care of her – " I said, gesturing to Kali.

"No," said the mage. "I'll take care of them _both_."

"And I'll take care of you!" the dwarf grinned.

Meanwhile, the room simmered and hot glares pierced the back of my neck.

---

Eight humans, sixteen dwarves and two horses. No trolls, unfortunately. All in twenty four hours. The entire town of Menethil was panicking, but in spite of the danger, Xanthium knew she would have to spend the night in the place – every entrance was guarded heavily, and she didn't stand a chance of leaving undetected. She had beaten her record of twenty five kills in a day, and she was proud of it. Not a single person could leave the town, and everyone in the boat was being held and questioned thoroughly, from what she could hear of her grasp of Common.

Kali was screwed, she thought with a smug grin, yet it was disappointing. She wanted to kill the troll herself. At least she could not escape this time. With any luck, they would pin the blame on her or Peacebloom, though Xanthium knew it was unlikely. However, how would Alexander and Lenora react to it? Why had they been travelling with "Hordies" (as Lex often called them) in the first place?

Then Xanthium had to stifle a snort. Aunt Agatha had probably put them up to it.

She stood still, leaning against the wall, pressed as tightly as she could. She would be like this all night at the least, she knew. _Everyone_ was awake. Doors, windows, stalls – _everything_ had been locked. _Everything_.

She glared.

If she moved, she didn't stand a chance. She was hiding somewhere they wouldn't expect – in plain sight, a light spilling through her stealthed form – but everyone knew she was a rogue. Dagger wounds in the back only pointed to one thing. As she thought this, she watched dwarves wielding rods that sparked with that thing gnomes called _electricity_ – she had seen this in the Apocothary at Undercity – brandishing them as if in the hope of hitting her. Then she saw the gnomes themselves. And humans. They were in cloth. With staffs. And smug grins on their faces.

Mages. She was _screwed_. They separated, fanning themselves out all over the square. With any luck, the roof overhang above Xanthium would protect her from their area of effect spells. People scrutinised the area carefully – even specially trained guards, taught to recognise the stealth form. If she moved, they would see it instantly.

Then the rain of ice came. Shards of sharp, frozen water hitting the ground and shattering. A beautiful sight, but that was the last thing she needed right now –

As one hit Xanthium in the side, she could do nothing as inertia sent her reeling off her feet and out of stealth.

Drat.

---

She "woke up" in a room where two guards glared at her from the door, and a nurse sat in a chair beside her bed. They were all staring at her. Tentatively, she propped herself up on her elbows – earning a panicked look from the nurse and two glares from the guards. She looked down on herself.

"Drat," she said.

The guards and nurse said nothing. She looked around the room – a bedroom. She was allowed to lie in the bed of an Ally. _Why?_ She wanted to ask. _Shouldn't she be dead?_

Then she realised something else. Her weapons were gone. Her bow, arrows and her dagger. Even the spare one she kept in her boot, tightly squeezed between the leg and the leather, was gone. She quickly reached up to the back of her neck, but the one she kept there wasn't there either. She gritted her teeth and breathed in sharply, her head turning towards the ceiling. Dangit, she had _played dead_, but somehow she had fallen asleep during it. She could kick herself. How the heck do you fall asleep when a bunch of enemies are carrying you to your death?

This was _great_, she thought, sarcasm all too evident. The guards smirked at the look on her face, and the nurse blanched. She didn't feel safe at all, the Horde realised, giving the woman a weak smile. The nurse laughed nervously in response.

There was a knock on the door, and the mage came in barking things in Common. Kali caught the words, "Fish", "Kill" and "That damned cat", all of which she had learnt off Alexander. Speaking of "That damned cat" (was that Common for Nightsaber? Kali pondered on this), where _was_ he? Then the mage yelled at her in the same language.

"Sorry, mon," she replied. "But I got no stinkin' idea what ya be on about."

He narrowed his eyes. "I think you do," he spat. "Those humans certainly can't speak Orcish, so you must speak Common."

"Nope," said Kali. "Actually, their mother just made me go with them. 'Snot like I have anythin' better to go, mon."

"_Don't call me that!_" snarled the mage. "What are you doing travelling with them? What is your business?"

"I told ya, I got nuttin' better to do. And where's me cat?"

"That's not important right now."

"Whaddya want from me?"

"If you don't tell me what you are doing," the mage conjured a fireball. "I'll have to eliminate you."

Kali looked at him.

"Drat," she said.

---

Xanthium wasn't dumb. As soon as she had felt the ice, cold shards slice the skin on her back open and her stealth fade, she had thrown her eyes open wide and let herself sprawl on the ground. Playing… well… dead. If she was alive her eyes would have been watering but, being dead, it wasn't possible – her eyes were rarely wet anyway, her tear ducts no longer functioning (though she admitted having chronic blurred vision was annoying). And it wasn't as if they could check for a pulse.

"You _can't_ have one-shotted her!" a mage shrilled. "Seriously, how many people did she brutally murder?"

A gnome used all of his body strength to roll Xanthium onto her back. He crawled onto her chest – Xanthium was _itching_ to tell him to look towards her _face_ – before stating, "Maybe she was just good at sneaking around."

"We should kill her."

"She _is_ dead," said the male gnome. The female – the first mage – came up behind him.

"Have you checked for a pulse?"

_Idiot_, Xanthium wanted to say as the male reached towards her throat. "I can't feel anything," he squeaked. "She's not breathing and her heart's not beating."

"Gaz, she's an undead," said the female mage. The others crowded around them. "Undead do neither!"

"Penny, how do we check if she's _really_ dead, then?"

The throng murmured in speculation.

"Actually," "Penny" thought for a moment. "That's a good idea."

"We can try this," said Gaz, summoning a fireball and holding it to Xanthium's skin. It took all of her willpower not to scream.

"Hey, those abominations aren't worth cremating!" shrilled Penny.

"Pennwyn, we can't bury her, she's _already_ been buried!"

"They shouldn't get any ceremony at all!"

"But if we burn her then we know for sure if she's alive."

"How?"

"Easy, all of a sudden there'd be a moving fireball running towards the nearest body of water," said Gaz.

"Eh, fine, go ahead," Pennwyn rolled her eyes. "Set her on fire, see if _I_ care."

This day could not get any worse, Xanthium thought as "Gaz" hopped off her body and threw a fireball at her.

Forsaken are reputed to not feel pain. This is not strictly true – they just have a higher pain tolerance, and while some of their flesh is dead and they cannot feel anything in those parts, Xanthium could definitely feel the hungry fire on her. Her pain tolerance, however good, could not bear it and her body did the only thing it could do to protect her.

The last thing Xanthium heard before she lost consciousness was a scream of horror. But was it coming from her?


	6. Do I Look Like I'm Walking To You?

"Put it out!" Pennwyn screamed. "Put it out, put it out!"

The gnome burst into tears, and Gaz quickly conjured some water and dumped it on the corpse. "Definitely dead, at least."

"Poor dear," a female dwarf put her arm around Pennwyn. "She's only just left the nest, has she?"

Sniffing, Pennwyn nodded. "Haven't seen this before," she said. "So horrible… Please… is the Forsaken alright?"

"Definitely dead," repeated Gaz. "Or she'd have run screaming to the water."

Pennwyn looked as if she was going to cry again. "This is just…" she searched for words. "It's just cruel, this war is… so pointless…" the tears returned and the dwarf stroked her hair comfortingly. "I didn't think I would be so…"

"Geez, it's a freaking undead," Gaz rolled his eyes. "Grow a backbone."

When no one even looked his way, Gaz shrugged. "May as well dump it in the swamp."

---

The "human" cracked one eye open warily, looking out of the slits carefully. She resisted the urge to jump up and scream – her energy had come back _so_ quickly – and she knew she would have to act soon. Fake fainting had made her _so bored_. And it was only a matter of time before the deviate fish wore off.

To her immense surprise no one was in the room. Peacebloom immediately jumped off he bed, transformed and stealthed. If only she was a rogue – she could sneak up on people and say, "Boo!" She wondered if Kali was alright. If she was, then she could aggravate the troll further once they were out of this mess. _Buahaha_, thought the hyperactive tauren as she nudged the ajar door wider open and carefully padded down some stairs past a frowning night elf. When the timbers creaked, instinct made Peacebloom freeze as the night elf cast a glance at the stairs. She seemed to be a civilian innocent of the knowledge of who had been put behind the now-open door. She wasn't alarmed at all. Peacebloom wanted to pounce on her and scream _Eediot! Eediot!_ but her catform silenced her. It was as if she had multiple personalities, she swore.

She made her way out of the open front door – speaking of "eediots", this was just _too_ easy – and towards the water lapping on the shore. She was right by the docks. She would turn into a seal once in the water and escape as quickly as possible.

But once she reached there she saw a strange sight.

"Fancy seeing you hanging around, Xanthi," she said to the floating, rotting corpse that drifted slightly on the surface of the water. "What are you lying _there_ for?"

The corpse cracked an eye open. "Shut up," she said in Taurahe, looking as if each individual word pained her. "I feel like _shit_."

"You look like it too."

"Nice, cool, water," the undead breathed. "If any Allies come by, let me know so I can keep playing dead. Light, my burns… ouch…"

"I'm surprised you're still alive."

"I'm _dead_, you idiot."

"No, I mean _really_ dead. As in being just a corpse, as opposed to a walking one."

"Do I look like I'm walking to you? I don't think I'll ever walk again."

Peacebloom decided not to nitpick. "Need any help?"

"If you can help me without touching me, that'd be great."

"I _am_ a restoration druid," Peacebloom bristled.

"Got anything for burns?"

"No," Peacebloom admitted. "Normal spells would help, but with burns they take longer. Plus I'd need to touch you."

"No way in hell are you touching me," said Xanthium. "Every tiny _wave_ is agony."

"_What_ waves?"

"Exactly."

Peacebloom slipped into the water beside Xanthium and gently steered the girl below the wooden docks. It was hard work in her cat form, plus Xanthium would not stop _groaning_. "Shut up," she hissed. "Or the guards will hear."

Xanthium snarled under her breath instead.

Hoping no one would look below the gaps in the wooden planks above, Peacebloom transformed back. The deviates had worn off, and the tauren put her hands on Xanthium and began to use "healing touch".

Xanthium sucked in her breath and swore in Orcish, trying to lean over to strangle Peacebloom. She gasped in pain and flopped back. Steadily and carefully, Peacebloom supported the undead's back until she was floating as before.

"Shit," said Xanthium. "It hurts more to try and kill you than for you to heal me."

Peacebloom giggled, and continued healing. "This'll take a while," she said. "I'm gonna get so _booooored_."

"How long?"

"An hour at least."

Xanthium swore. "What if someone looks down?"

"Just cross your fingers."

"It hurts to do that."

"Then cross some imaginary fingers or something."

"Done."

---

Lenora sighed and leaned forward on the edge of the chair, her chin in her hands. "Can we go now?" she said in a bored tone.

The dwarf in front of her glared. "Most certainly _not_, Lenora!" he admonished.

I just wished he would _shut up_. "Please?" I asked. "With a cherry on top?"

It sounded more like something Peacebloom would say, I was _that_ fed up. "We've been here for hours," I complained.

"You're not leaving until you answer our questions," said the dwarf.

"We _did_," said Lenny flatly. "It's not _our_ fault you don't believe us."

"'Scuse me for saying it miss, but your mother forcing you to travel with hordies just so you can dig up your cousin's coffin in Lordaeron is pretty unrealistic. Add that to the fact that there are no allies living in Durotar, and you have yourself a bunch of thinly concealed lies."

"We live in the mining village," Lenora rolled her eyes.

At the same time I said, "It's Mother, of _course_ she's unrealistic."

"I think we're going to be here a lot longer," said the dwarf with a sigh of exasperation. "Fine. We can send a letter to your so-called mother at the address you insist on having, and if we do not get a reply within the fortnight we will have to kill you as traitors. Understood?"

"So we're staying here for all that time?" I paled. "What about – "

Lenora silenced me with a look just in time, and I caught myself. What was I doing, wondering how Kali and Peacebloom were coping? I huffed.

"Pretty much," said the dwarf. "It's as fun for me as it is for you."

"Great," said Lenora bluntly.

---

Sorry for the disappointing chapter first off – not very pleased with it, may rewrite it when I get back. That's right – I'm off "camping" for five days this week so won't get to work on this.


	7. Those Damn Crocolisks

The chair, two legs touching the ground, was leaning precariously against the wall. A troll lay in it, her head rolled back, her chest rising and falling as she panted slightly. Her arms dangled by her sides, and scorch marks glared from her face, an angry colour. She willed herself to stay still, wishing she could hold her breath forever while she rested. Whenever her face muscles twitched, she was overcome with burning pain.

In front of her, the human responsible for her injuries rolled his eyes. He spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Do you honestly know _nothing_ about the Horde's military plans?"

It hurt to speak, but Kali made the effort, though the human had to stoop to hear her. "Don' know nothin' mon."

She didn't even bother saying, _I told you so!_

"I think we should believe her," said a bored dwarf in Common by the door. Kali couldn't understand him, and frankly, she didn't care. "Honestly, you've been asking the same damn questions for hours, laddie, I think we should let her go."

"I'm going to ask you _one more time_," said the human through gritted teeth. Kali growled in her throat, her eyes closed. "What are the horde's plans for the Arathi Basin? For Alterac Valley? For Warsong Gulch? Why have they been raiding Westfall so much lately?"

"Don' know, mon."

The human hissed with annoyance. "Stupid troll," he growled. "Do you have a death wish?"

Kali didn't waste breath answering.

"What should we do with her?" asked the dwarf.

"I've got an idea…"

Kali didn't see what the human did, but she heard a clatter on the table beside her. Suddenly she felt her arm in a death grip and wrenched forward, and she overbalanced, falling to the floor, crying out as she felt something neatly slice her forearm. She opened her eyes, gasping, ignoring the burning pain on her face, holding her arm. The gash ran across the underside of it from the wrist to the elbow. It wasn't deep, yet blood was starting to pour out. She looked up at the human, and saw a glint of green, dripping poison as the smirking enemy replaced the dagger on the table.

"We poison her," he said in Orcish. "Then we set her loose in Menethil. I think the citizens can have her to themselves."

Kali groaned.

"What?" said the dwarf. "Speak in Common, laddie!"

The human explained, grabbing Kali's injured arm and pulling her violently to her feet. "C'mon," he growled in Orcish, shoving her roughly out the door and dragging her down the stairs, only to push her into the outdoors and the icy rain.

"Have a nice death," grinned the human, slamming the front door.

Kali lay sprawled in the mud, not even bothering to get up. She was finished. She knew that.

---

A groan erupted, cutting its way through the tranquil atmosphere. A water bird fluttered from its place at the water's edge, calling indignantly as its relaxation was disturbed by a rotting hand plunging into the air from below and digging sharp nails into the dirt. Another bubbly groan drifted into the air as a second claw joined the first, and a soaking head of unwashed hair popped up, shortly followed by the rest of the forsaken's body as she pulled herself clear of the water. A large, purple splodge spread across her jaw and neck, but her burns had almost completely been healed, despite still giving the forsaken pain. "Crocolisks!" she rasped. "Murlocs! Freaking _rain_! Those damned _birds_! And to top it all, my ass just got saved by an alcoholic _druid_!" she gasped as she fell forward onto her belly, and decided she had moved enough.

"Hey!" said another voice. A sea lion appeared, skimming the surface of the water with its back and propelling itself onto land with its momentum. It transformed into a lion with horns, and sat back to examine the forsaken with a slight frown.

The undead rolled onto her back with another, undignified grunt. She yelped as rainwater splashed into her eyes. "I'm in a bloody _foul_ mood!" she declared loudly. Peacebloom decided against giggling, instead casting a nervous glance to the south, where Menethil Harbour loomed in the mist.

"Careful," she warned.

"Voices carry across water, I _know_," said Xanthium. "But frankly, I don't damn well _care_. Not like they can get us from there. Unless they sic their pets on us."

"Their pets?"

"The murlocs and crocolisks they've got patrolling the damn wetlands!" said Xanthium.

"I think they're kind of cute, actually," said Peacebloom. "I wish I could keep a murloc as a pet."

"You've got to be kidding me," Xanthium's voice was flat.

"You know, they sometimes use ground crocolisk scales in some wines."

"I'm never drinking again."

"Think that's bad? They use murloc urine in soap in some places!"

"I'm never having a bath again either. And, before you tell me _how_ they gather that urine, I _don't want to know!_"

The cat grinned at Xanthium, whose eyes went skyward.

"Are we camping here?" asked Peacebloom.

Xanthium frowned at her. "Why the heck would we want to do that? We don't even have a friggen _tent_. We're _soaked through_!"

"To wait for Alex and Lenora."

"They're _stuffed_," said Xanthium, crossing her arms across her chest in the pose that the dead were often laid to rest in. She found it surprisingly comforting.. "They're being held up. They'll be ages. No point waiting for them. We may as well go our separate ways."

"Come on, they might bring some booze back!"

Trust a drunk-wannabe to say _that_.

"Peacebloom, I'm not putting up with this. I'm cold, I'm wet, and I'm even hungry for once. Now, as a forsaken, that doesn't happen often. Must be your damned healing."

"And what about Kali? We can't leave her there!"

Xanthium blinked. She had forgotten about the troll – and she hadn't killed her yet. Though there was a possibility she had already been murdered by the humans, though Xanthium wanted to find out for sure before going on her way. It _was_ worth hanging around to make sure…

"Fancy living on crocolisks, murlocs and swamp water for a week or so?" said Xanthium.

"Squee!" said Peacebloom.

Suddenly Xanthium was beginning to already regret her decision. Since when did tauren "_squee"_? She groaned again.

Ah well, Xanthium thought, propping herself into a sitting position. She checked her dagger was securely strapped in her belt. The leather sheath was as sodden and crisp as her armour, but it still held together, and the dagger's hilt was surprisingly undamaged. She had lost her skinning knife, but her supply of thread and needles were, thankfully, safely hidden deep in her pockets, wrapped in slightly singed silk. She would have to make new armour out of crocolisk leather.

She decided to aim for a hundred and fifty dead murlocs. At least Menethil Harbour would be grateful.

She didn't waste her time hoping that would be so.

---

Guilt. Overwhelming guilt that cut through every other emotion, forcibly barging its way to the front of the gnome mage's mind. As it returned in another wave, Pennwyn gasped at its impact, screwing her eyes shut. She forced herself to take deep, slow breaths and to open her eyes, staring at her feet. She had been out of Dun Morogh for barely two weeks, and already she was having a breakdown after her first Horde kill. But it was exactly that – a kill! She had murdered someone! Yes, the victim had been a forsaken, but she was still _someone_! Someone with feelings, someone who experienced happiness, sorrow, anger and loss. She had already died once and, more likely than not, lost her entire family as the plague claimed her life for the first time. And now the image of the burning body was forever branded into Pennwyn's mind. She would never get any peace. Not even from unsympathetic Gaz.

"You're a mage," he had said bluntly, rolling his eyes. "Your duty to the Alliance is to kill the Horde! You're going to go absolutely nowhere if you feel guilty for every death! Besides," he growled. "_I_ set the damn woman on fire, not _you_. Just don't think about it."

But try as she might to blot the horrible picture out, the memory refused to go away. Pennwyn blinked back tears as she concentrated on the ground below her feet, absorbing every tiny crack in the path, every single detail. She would rather think about flagstones than murder victims. Flagstones were innocent of murder, they had no blood on their hands. They had no hands to begin with! She gave a loud sigh, then screeched as she narrowly avoided crashing into someone's front door – but in that action she tripped over something red and blue. On her rump, she blinked at it for a moment before she gasped, realising what it was.

An arm, coated in blood. The forsaken's image came forward again, but Pennwyn gritted her teeth, forcing it back as she rushed forward and rolled the thing onto its back. A troll! A female troll, Pennwyn could tell, by her soft features and tiny tusks… her face was badly burned. But she was breathing.

Barely.

_Don't think about it!_ Pennwyn clenched her jaw. _Don't think about it!_

If only mages could heal, she thought! But she knew basic first aid. Hopefully it would be enough, she thought, murmuring a prayer as she examined the arm carefully. She noticed the green sludge oozing out of the wound, bubbling ominously. She reached into her pouch, pulling out a vial and a lump of bandages and torn rags, conjuring water to damp them. She dabbed at the arm, cleaning the wound, and then started on the antivenom. Hopefully the antivenom, which cured a wide variety of poisons, would cover _this_ one. In a cream form, it rubbed into the cut nicely. Then Pennwyn wrapped the arm tenderly in a linen bandage, and inspected the troll's face.

She was eager to make up for the forsaken's death. Perhaps if she saved the life of this troll, the haunting image would leave her alone.

As she had noticed earlier, the burns were bad, and the troll was unconscious. Pennwyn knew how to treat burns. She propped the troll's head up on her shoulder for elevation, and conjured water, repeatedly pouring it over the troll's face, the elevation preventing the liquid from entering the troll's nose. But she could not keep it up forever. After a few moments, her arms became too tired and the weight of the troll's head became too much. Regretfully, Pennwyn set her head down. She gazed at the blue face for a full minute, then saw the eyes flicker open.

She would live! Pennwyn grinned at the face, and watched as the troll gingerly sat up.

"Can you speak Common?" Pennwyn asked her eagerly.

The troll blinked at her. "Little know Common," she said. She made to yawn, but stopped as the movement stressed her burns. Her face returned to its original, expressionless state.

"Name?" asked Pennwyn. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Kali."

"I'm Pennwyn," said Pennwyn, pointing to herself.

"I'm Pennwyn?" Kali repeated.

"No. Pennwyn. Just Pennwyn."

"Pennwyn?"

"Yes," smiled the mage. "Follow Pennwyn?"

The troll considered it, then inclined her head slightly in a nod. "Yes, follow," she said. The mage brightened.

But there was the small issue of transporation. The mage looked around her feverishly – luckily, no one had seen the troll. Yet.

But Pennwyn was a mage. She knew how to get the troll to her home.

"Sheep," she said. "Pennwyn sheep Kali."

The troll looked at her as if she was insane.

"I'll have to renew the spell every few seconds," sighed Penny. "But we'll get there. Come on."

There was a startled bleat as Pennwyn cast the spell for the first time, and began to lead the white sheep to her house.

---

_Dear Commander Deathleaf,_

_For your information, yes, I had indeed instructed my son and daughter to travel with the Hordelings. This is a strictly private and secret mission that even the King of Stormwind knows, I do suggest that if you have any problem with this arrangement, you bring it up with him, but that could take weeks – time my children do not have._

_Under no circumstances are the Hordelings to be harmed. They are a tauren and troll, by the name of Peacebloom and Kali respectively. I assure you that they are harmless, though Peacebloom may drain one's supply of alcohol and break a few beer bottles. I hereby insist that you release the four of them and allow them to continue their important journey._

_As you may or may not know, I work in the mining village of Treefold in Durotar – the only human settlement. We are a tiny group of only ten families, but as a woman who knows Orcish, I am under stern orders to maintain the peace between the trolls and orcs of Durotar and our village so that we may live here with no violence._

_If you have a problem, once again, I urge you to bring it up with the King, but I insist you release the companions so that you do not hinder the work of the Alliance. I have told you once before, but I stress that this mission is of urgent, uttermost secrecy. But I trust you will not betray us._

_Sincerely,_

_Agatha Timewind_

---

Lenora and I exchanged glances as the nervous-looking man we had come to know as Deathleaf read the letter to us aloud. We knew Mother was lying through her teeth, and taking a great risk by inviting Deathleaf to bring up the matter with the King, even to claim we were working on behalf of the Alliance – but, lie or not, it had done the trick.

"You are free," said Deathleaf, looking up from the parchment.

I swallowed. "Where are Kali and Peacebloom?"

I had never seen Deathleaf looking so frightened. "Dead," he said brusquely. "The troll is dead, for she didn't have the information we wanted from her. And Peacebloom has vanished."

Time seemed to stop for us. Lenora froze, a look of disbelief crossing into her face, and I gaped at Deathleaf. Kali? Kali, _dead_? She couldn't be! Not Kali! Not bubbly, _normal_ Kali! She couldn't…

"Please," said Deathleaf. "We deeply regret having to inform you of this, but we did not have any better knowledge at the time."

I hung my head in my hands. Kali was _dead_. And Peacebloom could be dead too, for all we knew. And Xanthium could be also – the reports of a forsaken being burned to death had not eluded our ears. They were _all_ dead.

But they _couldn't_ be… Xanthium was such a fighter. She had claimed probably hundreds of lives in her time, she couldn't just _die_! And Kali had done nothing wrong – she had saved our lives! Neither had Peacebloom committed any crime, unless annoying Kali was one. I sighed.

"We should go," Lenora murmured. She looked drained all of a sudden. Deathleaf handed the letter to her. She didn't smile as she folded it and put it in her pack. "We'll have to continue this by ourselves."

The amulet crept into my mind as we stepped outside onto the streets, sadness hanging over us like the storm clouds in the sky. Xanthium had it for sure, or else she had known where it was. Now we had the gruesome task of searching the crisp body of our homicidal cousin.

Despite our grief, we wasted no time.

"Sir, have you seen a dead forsaken that's been burnt to a crisp lately?"

"Madam, could you please tell us if you've seen any redead-undeads around?"

"No, I assure you we're not necromancers, it just has something of ours."

"She's a female, homicidal corpse that resembles charcoal. Why, have you seen her?"

Finally a male gnome gave us the answer. "She's been thrown into the water near the docks. Look there."

We did, spending hours swimming around and finding nothing, to our frustation, until finally….

"Is that a fire?"

We were having a break on the shore, leaning against Menethil's walls, looking out towards the graveyard. Not far from it was a small, pinprick of orange light, smoke trailing from it up into the sky.

"Probably gnolls," I said.

But then I noticed something in the water, swimming swiftly towards us. Too tired to do anything but remain still, we watched as it aimed itself at us and came.

Suddenly a sea lion's head broke the water. Lenora stared at it with disbelief.

"Is that Peacebloom?" she said.

I crossed my fingers. The sea lion beckoned with jerks of its head, then submerged, waiting.

"I guess we're swimming again," said Lenny.

I didn't bother protesting, strapping on my armour. I would need all of my limbs if I was swimming across that bay – but the sea lion remained, allowing me to grab hold of its neck. Lenny wrapped her arms around my waist. The journey was swift, and despite being chased by crocolisks we made it safely to the other side where we met a woman with a familiar purple stain on her neck cutting up a murloc into bite-sized pieces. I shuddered – not with cold – when I saw she had made kebabs out of the eyes.

"Xanthium!"

She grinned at us. "Hello baby cousins!" she said.

"I'm going to get you back one day for those murders," Lenora groaned. "And for making us swim across that!"

"Look at what the cat dragged in!" laughed the forsaken as Peacebloom turned into a lion. "Where's the troll?"

"Dead," I said sadly.

Xanthium looked at us sharply. "Have you seen the body?"

"Didn't bother," said Lenora. I noticed that Xanthium's neck was bare of the necklace – but the purple mark confirmed what Mother had said to us what seemed a lifetime ago. The amulet turned things purple, didn't it?

Xanthium sighed. "I'll go look for her," she said. "You stay here and cook the murloc meat."

Lenora made a face, but I didn't feel fussed at all. "Alright," I said. Xanthium winked at me, before sprinting away.

She was so different, I realised. So different to the cruel undead that had threatened Lenora's life not long before. She was acting like the cousin I had known, all those years ago, who had kept dead squirrels in her room and booby trapped her door.

For some reason, that thought made me smile.


	8. Aunt Agatha Wants Us To Dig Up Who?

Xanthium hadn't anticipated her task being easy, and she was not disappointed. There was, as she had expected, no troll in sight around Menethil Harbour, but since she was deviateless she didn't dare ask around. Instead, she relied on her stealth and ears.

In the docks, she sat invisible on a coil of rope while two sailors chatted about Warsong Gulch. In the inn, she stood on the table with her arms crossed listening to two women gossip about orc makeup. At the blacksmith she sat behind the anvil, while a dwarf pounded on it, cursing the blood elves. It was hours until, when the night had crept back, Xanthium finally got her lead in the form of a familiar looking gnome named Gaz.

"Pennwyn's gone insane," he said to another gnome – a female rogue. The rogue frowned and Xanthium froze, halfway to hiding on top of a crate. She had to be careful around this one.

"What's she done now?" said the green haired female. She tilted her head towards where Xanthium was, squinting into the air. "There's someone here."

"You're probably imagining things," said Gaz. "Anyway, she's got this visitor. A sheep, to be exact."

"A sheep? Maybe she's keeping someone prisoner… you know, I could _swear_ I saw someone right _there_…"

Xanthium silently scooted on top of the crate. The gnome rogue didn't move.

"That's what I thought. Whenever someone passes by the house she quickly casts that damned sheep spell. But she's not the kind of person who would keep someone prisoner – you should have seen the state she was in when I set that forsaken on fire!"

Xanthium cringed at the memory. Even though she hadn't known it – being unconscious at the time - Pennwyn's innocent outlook had saved her life. If the mage hadn't been as traumatised as she was…

"Have you had a look?"

"She's all suspicious, Mint. Won't let me in her house. Geez, I'm her friggen boyfriend, you'd think she'd be nicer to me."

Mint turned towards the crate, her brow furrowed. "You gonna check it out? Dammit, I could _swear_…"

But Xanthium was already gone.

---

It had been easy enough to find Pennwyn's house. It was a tiny hut not far from the docks. The windows were wide open. The only problem Xanthium had with it was that it was exactly that – tiny. Gnome sized. She cured under her breath. Looked like she had to make herself as small as possible.

She found the gnome mage sleeping on her bed, with a sheep wandering around the room. The sheep had a bizarre expression on its face – it looked extremely _hacked off_. It rolled its eyes when Xanthium approached.

Damn animal could see through stealth!

But Xanthium was surprised. Firstly, if this _was_ a sheep spell, why was it holding for so long? Even if the mage had cast it just before her entrance, it should have broken by now.

But if it _was_ a real sheep, what the _heck_ was Pennwyn doing with a sheep in her bedroom?

Xanthium found her answer soon enough. The sheep disappeared, replaced by a troll with burn scars on her face, who shrieked and fell back on her haunches to avoid being made a pancake by the low ceiling. She frowned in the direction where she had seen Xanthium. "Where ya gone, mon?" she muttered.

Meanwhile, the mage had awoken. "Huh, that's an hour now," she said in Common. "Did you just turn back?"

"Why does she ask me things I can' even understand?" Kali shook her head.

"Kali!" said Xanthium in a whisper.

Kali tensed. "Xanth?"

"Yeah, it's the murderous rogue here."

"I'm hearing voices," Pennwyn whacked herself on the side of the head as if to clear her ears.

"Duh, idiot," Xanthium rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Kali, are you fit to walk over to the graveyard? Peacebloom, Alex and Lenora are there. They think you're dead."

"Deathleaf, no doubt," Kali muttered. It hadn't taken her long to guess the human's name. "Did they get out alright, mon?"

"And she's talking to them," Pennwyn cringed. "I must be dreaming."

"No you're not," said Xanthium in Common.

Pennwyn tensed. "Who's there?" she said sharply.

"Can I take the troll? We've got friends outside Menethil."

Pennwyn drew her breath in sharply. "The horde!"

"Actually, a couple of them are Allies, but don't let anyone find that out. We're just regrouping."

Pennwyn paled. "Um…"

"Can I take the troll now? I'd sap you, except I left my dagger with the tauren. Drat."

"Show yourself!"

"What? You're the mage that set me on fire! Oh, no, wait, that was another one. Fine, if you insist."

As Xanthium faded into view, crouching by the tiny window, Pennwyn gave a gasp. "Aren't you dead?"

"Yes, actually, it's called the plague," Xanthium rolled her eyes. Kali stared suspiciously at the forsaken.

"No, I mean burned alive…"

"Don't ask me how, but I lived," said Xanthium. "I fainted being on fire, woke up floating in the harbour. Now can I take the troll with me?"

Pennwyn's face lit up. _She was alive!_ "Alright!" she said, quickly polymorphing Kali. "That'll last for an hour – we've been practicing."

"Thanks," said Xanthium, slipping back into stealth.

No one took much notice of a sheep charging out of the Harbour looking like it was strangling. A few dwarves laughed at it, but they were completely drunk, and later thought it was a hallucination.

---

"Here she is!" Xanthium pushed the sheep forward. "Don't all thank me at once!"

Lenora and I looked doubtfully at the sheep. What on _earth_? Peacebloom giggled and reached for it.

"Thanks for the effort Xanthium," I chose my words carefully. It isn't easy to talk to a homocidal corpse. "But Kali's a troll, not a sheep."

But as Peacebloom gave the sheep a bearhug, Lenora and I gasped. We would recognise the agonised expression _anywhere_.

"Someone polymorphed her!" said Lenora.

"Wow, you win the prize!" said Xanthium.

"How come it's holding so long?"

"The mage she was staying with polymorphed her so much she got good at the spell. In a minute or two Kali'll change back, apparently it lasts an hour. If what I eavesdropped is anything to go by."

The sheep looked as if it wanted to throttle Peacebloom.

"Oh, and I brought something back for the tauren," muttering in Taurahe, Xanthium brought out a few bottles from inside her crocolisk-skin cloak.

"Xanthi!" said Lenora.

Much to the sheep's relief, Peacebloom "squee"ed and grabbed for the bottles. Xanthium yanked them out of reach, snapping at the tauren, who murmured in return and reached for the bottles again. This time Xanthium obliged. I could only guess that Xanthium was telling her off about manners.

Then Peacebloom screamed so loudly that, startled, Lenora and I gave a yell. Even Xanthium did, then immediately tried to look dignified. The polymorph spell had finally faded, and in front of us was a pissed off troll with scars on her face that made me frown. What had Deathleaf done to her?

Kali's face lit up as she saw me, and crawled to my side. "Lex!" she squeaked.

"Why was Deathleaf sheeping her?" I asked Xanthium.

Xanthium cocked her head. "It wasn't he who was looking after her," she said. "It was some gnome lady. She was nice enough, but almost had a heart attack when I revealed myself."

"You revealed yourself?" I scowled. I tried to ignore Kali as she threw her arms around my shoulders and hugged me close. Lenora was failing at holding her laughter in. "Why didn't you just sap her?"

"One, it would be easier to get the mage to polymorph her. I can't sneak people into stealth, you know that."

"And two?" Lenora raised an eyebrow. Kali finally released me and I gasped for breath.

Xanthium had the grace to look embarrassed. "Er. I left my daggers here."

She pointed at a dead murloc merely metres away that had two pieces of metal sticking out of its back, the blades glinting evilly. Xanthium gave Lenora a dirty look before the latter could laugh. Lenora knew when to shut up, especially when shutting up might save her life. Xanthium stood up, walked over to the murloc and pulled the daggers out of its back. "Fancy murloc for dinner?"

I didn't, but answered, "Sure."

Lenora looked like she was going to be sick.

Kali watched our faces with interest.

The murloc meat we had eaten earlier had tasted _foul_.

"I'll get some other ingredients," said Lenora. Xanthium smirked.

There was a kerfuffle as Peacebloom tried to get Kali to lie down. When Xanthium snapped at her, she answered promptly, causing Xanthium to switch languages and snap at Kali instead.

"What's up?" I said.

"Peacebloom's going to see what she can do about those scars," Xanthium lugged the murloc corpse over to us. Even though it had been dead more than an hour and was starting to rot, she didn't seem to be bothered to kill a fresh one. Lenora, her eyes scanning the horizon for herbs, listened with interest. "And Kali's going to tell us what happened in a moment. If you two tell me your story, I'll update everyone."

An hour later after Lenora had disappeared for ingredients and our stories had all been told, the five of us sat beside the fire, cross legged. My armour was behind me, and Kali's knee almost touched mine. On my left, Xanthium was silent.

Did I ever mention that trolls look so much like spiders when cross legged it's not funny?

---

The next morning Xanthium pressed gold and silver coins into the palms of my sister and me, jerking her head towards Menethil. She wasn't the only one already sick of murlocs.

"And get me some armour too!" she hissed.

"There's no auction house."

"Then steal something, I don't care. Buy it off someone else if you have to."

Hours later we returned with four repaired packs, a new one for Xanthium, and supplies.

"Exactly what are we doing anyway?" Xanthium asked.

Lenora and I exchanged glances. We had been waiting for this.

"You do it," she said.

"No," I said. "_You_ do it. _I'm_ not going to!"

"Why not?" she said.

"If someone's gonna die, I'd rather it be you."

"Thanks, Lexie, I really appreciate it."

"It's because of that infernal nickname, I swear!"

"Lexie!" chirped a certain troll, picking up my hand in hers. Lenora smirked. She always did whenever Kali showed me affection.

"Why do I have a feeling it's going to severely piss me off?" asked Xanthium.

"If anyone knows where it is," I said. "It'll be Xanthium. But I'm not going to ask!"

Xanthium sighed in irritation. "Just ask me already, and I promise to kill you quickly. Did Aunt Agatha put you up to it?"

"How did you know?" Lenora blinked.

"We all know she's practically a traitor to the Alliance," Xanthium gestured to Peacebloom and Kami. "She'd always been fond of those orcs, remember the camps?"

I resisted the urge to snap at her. "She wants us to dig you up."

Xanthium blinked. "Say that again? I thought you said she wanted you to dig up my corpse."

"She does," said Lenora.

Xanthium blinked again. "Is _that_ it? What does she want this time?"

"An amulet," I went on.

"The Purple Cat Amulet?" asked Xanthium. She ran her fingers along her face, tracing the purple splodge she knew by heart.

"Yes, do you have it on you?" asked Lenora.

Xanthium shook her head. "I must have left it in the coffin."

"What did the forsaken do with it?" my sister held her breath.

"They often leave the coffins alone," said Xanthium. "Just bury them again. They do it to scare the whatsit out of the humans who wander north wondering if their plagued relatives are Scourge or forsaken. If we're lucky, grave robbers won't have got hold of it. Why does she want it? Is she planning on breeding purple cats?"

Even when living in Lordaeron, our mother Agatha had been known as the "Crazy Cat Lady".

"She wants to move up to Stormwind," said Lenora. She then proceeded to explain our living arrangements in Durotar.

"That must suck for the village," was Xanthium's only reaction. "Did you manage to get hold of some armour for me?"

When Lenora answered in the negative, I noticed Xanthium grip her dagger tightly. I clenched my fist, only to realise that Kali was still holding my hand. I quickly pulled it free and down to my side. Kali looked away.

Xanthium, I noticed, was tense all over. She was probably used to killing everyone who disobeyed her. But this time she nodded curtly. "Fair enough," she said. "Now let's head out, is everyone packed?"

"You're coming?" blinked Lenora.

"Hey," said Xanthium with a smug grin. "It's _my_ grave we're digging up. Plus, you might need a forsaken around in case things get ugly."

"You're not afraid of being seen with us?"

"I'm not afraid of _anything_," Xanthium rolled her eyes. "If I get caught with you I pretend you're all my slaves. Nuff said."

I was uncomfortable, but nodded slowly. "Alright," I said reluctantly.

Beside me, leaning slightly, Kali said nothing.

---

Our journey to Thandol Span was hell. We had to move off the road, afraid of running into Allies who had heard of the Horde trouble at the harbour. Now, instead, we had to run _from_ angry slime things, raptors, gnolls, crocolisks and murlocs. Xanthium's collection of murloc eye kebabs grew with every passing day, but whenever we sicced her on our persuers she would gradually move further and further away as she got distracted by more living things to kill until we yelled loud enough to break into her hypnotised reverie. After a week, Lenora told her to stop it.

"But I've only killed two hundred and thirty four murlocs, eighty nine gnolls, three hundred and thirteen slime beasts, three dozen crocolisks and raptors and fourteen dwarves!"

Lenora and I wisely ignored the last tally she had informed us of. "Just stop it," Lenora said bluntly.

Xanthium huffed and rolled her eyes. "It's the only thing keeping me sane, you know," she snarled.

Lenora stood her ground under Xanthium's leer. To this day, I have no idea how she did it.

Neither did she.

---

True to our expectations, with Xanthium holding her mile-wide murderous streak in check, our journey sped up tenfold. True to Xanthium's word, the undead was starting to crack. Whenever she talked, she would snarl, snap or hiss. Every movement was violently exaggerated, and whenever someone talked to her, her hand would fly to her dagger's hilt and clutch it tightly. Kali began to hang around near me even more than before whenever Xanthium got too close to her. I was surprised Xanthium had self control enough not to disobey Lenora.

Then, a day later, we made it to Thandol Span.


	9. Highlands My Arse

Thandol Span, the huge bridge, was shrouded in mist, yet to our relief we could not hear any voices – no Allies, and no Hordies either, much to our combined gratitude.

"Just keep going in a straight line and hope you don't go over the edge," I said, reaching out for my companions as the fog swirled over us. I felt a warm hand and gripped it. Much to my horror, I heard Kali make a purring noise beside me.

_Stupid troll_, I thought with a roll of my eyes, but didn't dare let go. I walked forward, reaching out with my other hand where I thought I had heard my cousin walk earlier. I heard my boots echo on stone. "Xanthi?" I said. "Lenny? Peacebloom?"

I heard a dim shout far off, and a splash.

"Oh crap," I said.

Kali said something briskly. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the equivalent in Orcish. Then she tugged on my hand, leading me through the mist and guiding my free hand onto something solid.

I never thought I'd be so glad to see a wall in my life. Or, in this case, _not_ see. Kali kept a hold of my other hand, much to my frustration, and I followed the wall around a corner and –

I yelped as my hand met nothingness, and suddenly I fell backwards as Kali yanked on my arm. I heard pebbles and dust scuffle towards the nothingness, then…

A few seconds later, tiny splashes.

Suddenly I was glad I had a Hordie clinging to me.

---

"Crap," said Xanthium. "That's the third _friggen_ time! I swear the water likes me or something!"

She looked above her, treading water. A white strip of fluffy, yet ominous mist hung above her.

"Arathi _Highlands_ my _arse_," said Xanthium.

Suddenly there was a red splodge falling from the bridge too, landing with a splash beside Xanthium. It surfaced, spluttering.

"Hello Lenny," said Xanthium.

"Crap," said Len.

"I love you too," Xanthium rolled her eyes.

"Where's the friggen beach? We're in a _canyon_ here!"

"Don't worry," smirked Xanthium. "I know where there's one. I fell in here before. Quite a swim though."

"Under – " Lenny broke off as she saw a corpse floating by. "Where did that come from?"

"Don't look down," said Xanthium.

Lenora looked down. Her eyes played across the wreckage and the dead bodies that were lodged under it.

"Now," said Xanthium. "If you were wondering what ever happened to the bridge…"

"Eep," said Lenora.

Faded yells erupted above.

"Is that Lex?" said Lenora.

"Sounds like he's yelling at Kali," said Xanthium, smug. "You know, I've always been curious about the relationship between those two…"

Lenora snorted, but her facial expression now matched her undead cousin's. Pleased that she had cheered the girl up, Xanthium beckoned.

"This way," she said, swimming towards the sea.

Heavy clothes smothering her, the cold getting in despite them, Lenora followed.

---

Peacebloom vaguely wondered what was going on. It had been _hours_ since she had accidentally crashed into the undead and knocked her off the bridge – _oops_ – and now she was standing on grass beside a stream with a cat at her heels and a raptor looking at her strangely.

Ignoring the raptor, Peacebloom said to Ash, "Where did _you_ show up?"

The nightsaber stalker mewed.

"Because you definitely weren't at the wetlands!"

The nightsaber's eyes looked suspiciously shifty. Peacebloom wondered if the nightsaber knew what the tauren was on about.

"Now, is there any particular reason why you're not defending my ass and attacking that raptor?"

The raptor rolled its eyes.

"What?" said Peacebloom.

The raptor shrugged.

"You know what I'm saying?"

The raptor nodded.

"Er, any particular reason _why_?"

The raptor stared at the ground for a moment in thought. Then it shrugged.

"Can you talk?"

The raptor looked at Peacebloom as if to say, _If I could, I already would have, idiot!_ Then it shook its head.

"Oh, alright. Why are you stalking me?"

The raptor shrugged again.

"Can I call you something?"

The raptor shook its head.

"You don't want a name?"

The raptor shook its head.

"You do?"

The raptor shook its head for a third time.

"Oh, alright," vaguely confused, Peacebloom shrugged. "Ah well, as long as you don't eat me I won't object to you stalking me."

The raptor nodded.

An understanding had been reached.

---

The human babbled on as they walked leisurely along the path. At least, _she_ was walking leisurely, but _he_ was running around in circles and waving his arms.

"Dammit, Lexie," she said. "No one's listening to you!"

The human stopped for a moment, staring at Kali blankly.

"What?"

The human shrugged, and resumed his flutter of panic.

"Geez, we've been separated for _hours_, don't you think it's about time to get off your ass and _do something_?" said Kali.

In truth, she was hoping to find them on the main road – the one which they were now following. With any luck, they would run into the others, but that splash had sounded foreboding. Alex hadn't recovered from the fact that a _troll_ had saved him. It was evident from the way he eyed her _and_ any body of water suspiciously, as if they were interested in making a meal of him.

Speaking of meals, those raptors were looking rather shifty. Kali wished for the millionth time that she had Ash with her. Even if the cat was useless in combat, at least his presence was reassuring. As much as Kali liked Alex – something that a certain undead always took the wrong way and teased her about - he didn't have the most calming influence. He was worse than the friggen _cat_.

"Think we should stop," Kali murmured, trying to ignore her throbbing feet. "I'm exhausted. If they're on this road they'll catch up, I hope."

Alex looked at her, not understanding until Kali curled up beside the road. Reluctantly, he padded over and sat beside her.

"Grass's wet," said Kali. Alex didn't seem to notice, or care. Kali's eyes returned to the raptors by the stream. Alex took off his backpack and rummaged through it, finally poking Kali and offering her something red.

Blinking, she took the apple from him. That was an unusual act of kindness, she thought, biting into it before the human could change his mind. Alex smiled at her, before fetching a piece of fruit for himself.

_Definitely_ strange. A seed of suspicion rooted and began to grow in Kali's mind. He'd treated her with nothing but contempt or trepidation, acting as if she was some _weird thing_ instead of a normal troll.

Then again, it was probably the _troll_ part that that made him treat her that way.

_Sorry I was born_, Kali wanted to snap at him, but she knew that even if he spoke Orcish he wouldn't understand. She decided not to bother.

Meanwhile, there was the _teensy_ matter of finding out what had happened to Peacebloom, Xanthium and Lenora. If they had separated, Kali hoped that Xanthium was the alone one – she trusted the undead as far as she could throw her. Peacebloom, Lenora and Alex couldn't understand the mutterings the undead would utter through gritted teeth with one hand enclosing her dagger's handle as she trudged behind everyone else, but Kali certainly could. Kali had also not missed the looks Xanthium had sent her. Kali may have not been a successful hunter, but she knew the looks of a rogue who had found his or her target, and that expression had been all too prominent lately. The only time she

She wondered where Ash was. She hadn't seen the cat since she had met Deathleaf. She hoped he had escaped to somewhere safe. With any luck, someone had taken him in. Images of the cat swallowed by a slime beast and being suffocated with green goo, being dismembered by a raptor, and chewed apart by a crocolisk rose in Kali's mind and she felt her heart flutter nervously. The only time Kali could remember Xanthium looking at her with anything else was… well, Xanthium hadn't looked at her normally since she had been pretending to be Violet Pelegie. Kali knew she'd have to watch her back. After Lenora had forbidden the forsaken not to go on murderous rampages, Kali knew it was a matter of time before Xanthium cracked.

And she knew who the undead would go for first.

A yell cut through her thoughts, and Kali herself shrieked on reflex. Beside her, Alex had drawn his sword and stood up hurriedly, in a combat stance. Kali blinked, following his glare.

A female forsaken and another troll – male - were staring at the pair, confused. The troll looked vaguely familiar.

"Kali!" the troll yelled, and Alex suddenly looked panicked. Kali knew what he was thinking. If Kali decided to turn against him, he would be dead in seconds.

But she stood up. "Tanis!" she said joyfully. "Whaddya doin' round here, mon?"

The troll grinned, running over. "Whatcha doin' wit teh human, Kali?" he asked.

Kali winced. "The Mad Cat Lady from Durotar," she said.

The troll suddenly erupted into laughter, holding his sides. "Good ol' Agatha! She always puttin' our trolls up teh things! On'y a matter o' time before she got ya."

The forsaken looked amused.

"This is her son, Alex," said Kali. Alex was watching her warily.

"Don' wanna risk pissin' off Agatha," said the troll. "She's teh only thin' preventin' those humans kickin' our butts out dere in Durotar. Dey say she has a cat army."

Kali hadn't seen one, but nodded anyway. "What are you doing up here?"

"Looking for some piece of metal," said Tanis. "Something teh Banshee Queen instructed us to do – " he gestured to the forsaken. "Dis is Vira, by teh way."

Vira looked remarkably light mannered in comparison to her peers. Grinning at Kali, she said, "Pleased to meet ya – er, you."

"I'm rubbin' off on her," grinned Tanis. "On'y a matter o' time before she has such a thick accent her own people don' understand her."

Vira giggled.

"Tanis, have ya seen any ot'ers around dis place?" said Kali. "There's five of us, and we got separated in the mist. I dink two of 'em fell off Thandol Span, mon."

"We've seen plen'y of people around here, describe 'em?"

"One's his sister," Kali pointed at Alex, who blinked. "Dressed all in red, tanned skin, de usual magey sparkly stuff. Another's a tauren druid who's alcoholic and hyperactive, and de last is a homicidal forsaken who looks like someone threw purple paint at her face."

"Homicidal forsaken?" Vira frowned. "Now that you mention it, when we passed that cove with the ship – remember that, Tanis? – we saw a forsaken rogue going on a murderous rampage. Killed all the sailors. I thought she was wearing a purple scarf, though, over her face. Could be her."

"Did you see anyone else I described with her?"

"No, unfortunately I can't help you there."

Kali frowned. Whether this was good or bad news, she was unsure.

"She won't be able to get back on the highlands unless she swims to Hillsbrad," said Vira.

"Good, we're going up that way."

"What's her name? In case I hear of her."

"Xanthium… Could be Timewind."

Tanis and Vira exchanged glances so swiftly Kali almost missed it.

"Ah," said Vira. "That would explain…"

She trailed off.

"Explain what?" asked Kali.

"Doesn't matter," shrugged Vira.

"Have you seen anyone else?"

"No humans except for a party of males heading towards Refuge Pointe, and the only tauren we saw was some lady with a cat and a raptor following her."

"That won't be them," said Kali gloomily. "Thanks for your help anyway."

"No prob, sis," Tanis winked. Vira smiled. "We best be off righ' now, our mission's rather urgent – "

"Oh, I didn' mean ta hinder ya!" Kali flushed.

"Don' worry, I'll help ya whenever ya need it," suddenly Kali was caught in a hug. She returned it and stepped back from her brother, smiling.

"I'll see you around, then," she said.

Vira nodded politely and Tanis waved feverishly like an idiot before they went on their way. Kali listened to Alex muttering in Common. The only words she could understand were, "Hordies" and "Danger."

"No danger," she said in broken Common. She strained to find the right words. What was _cove_ in Common? She frowned. "Xanthium, Xanthium…"

"Xanthium?" said Alex. "Where?"

Kali pointed towards the coast. "There Xanthium," she said. "Killing."

If there was one person who could teach others what _murder_ and all its synonyms were in Common, it was Xanthium.

"Oh."

"Yes," said Kali in Orcish. "_Oh._"

As they walked back, Kali cursed her lack of Common. She was extremely confused – what mission did Vira and Tanis have? What about Xanthium hadn't surprised them?

She remembered the amulet Agatha Timewind had told them all about. Surely others couldn't be looking for it too?

She dismissed it immediately. She was just being paranoid. But it was strange, running into a troll and a forsaken together…

Well. _She_ wasn't one to talk. She huffed, and Alex shot her a glance. She silenced herself quickly. It wouldn't do for him to think she was some kind of grumpy… well, _troll_. He smiled at her.

That was surprising too. The day could _not_ get any weirder, Kali felt.

---

When there were two splashes not far off, Xanthium said to Lenora, "Drat, two of them got away."

The wet mage rolled her eyes. "Come on, haven't you murdered _enough_? You practically – what's the term? Solo'd? – all of them! _All thirty of them!_"

"Not my fault you were too slow to stop me," Xanthium grinned.

"You try swimming in a freaking dress!"

"Why don't you wear some of their clothes?" Xanthium pointed at the pile of dead sailors. "Before it all begins to rot."

"They're wearing leather. I am a mage. I do not wear leather."

"Um. Why?"

Lenora had to think about that for a minute. "Er. I don't know."

Xanthium snorted. "The sailors just got onto the beach," she said, looking at the armour in her hands she had looted from one of her victims. She was sewing over the stab wound she had inflicted.

"They're not sailors, those sailors weren't a troll and forsaken."

Xanthium looked up sharply. "Oh, it's just Vira Whitefeather, no harm in her. And some troll or other."

"Looks like Kali."

"Maybe a relative or something, I don't know," said Xanthium. "Maybe they're looking for us?"

Xanthium watched as the two Hordes approached them. She murmured to Lenora, "Be alert. Vira might be harmless, but the troll might not be. It's been a while since I last saw her."

"How do you know her?" whispered Lenora.

But before Xanthium could answer the forsaken approached them. "You Xanthium Timewind?" she asked in Common.

"Xanthium Carefall, actually," answered Xanthium. "Timewind's my aunt's name, I'm her sister's daughter."

Lenora snorted. "Of all the names for you to have…" she said. "'Carefall' should not be one of them."

Xanthium resisted smirking. "Come on, Vira, you know me."

"Not your last name," said Vira. "People've been asking about you."

Xanthium frowned. "Can't be the Dark Lady…?"

"No. His sister," Vira jabbed a finger at the troll, who smirked. "And some human she's with."

"That means Peacebloom will be alone…" muttered Lenora.

Xanthium switched to Orcish. "Any particular reason why you've come to seek me out yourselves?" she asked. Lenora frowned. "It's a long swim to Hillsbrad."

This time Vira spoke in Gutterspeak. "The Dark Lady's impatient, so she sent me out with Tanis for this mission. How are you coming along?"

"Agatha didn't have it," Xanthium answered in kind. "In fact, she sent out _her_ kids to do the same mission."

"Have you got it yet?"

"No. No idea where it is. I told them that I probably left it in my coffin."

"Likely story," Vira frowned.

"They believed it," said Xanthium.

"What are you going to do once you get up there?"

Xanthium tapped the side of what was left of her nose. "That's for me to you and you not to find out until it's happened. I'll get the reward, dearie, just you wait."

"I think the Dark Lady's given up on you."

"She should learn to wait," snorted Xanthium.

"I wouldn't speak about the Dark Lady that way," said Vira. "Windrunner's always looking for new victims."

"Ha, her guards would never know what hit her. You know I'm Undercity's top assassin, Vira."

"I know. Don't tell Windrunner I told you, but she likes having you occupied. Can't afford for you to turn against her," Vira admitted.

"Then why is she risking offending me and sending you out in my place?"

"Because usually you would have finished your mission by now," said Vira.

"I'm a murderer, not an investigator," said Xanthium. "I don't know where the bloody thing _is_, that's why they're helping me."

"Why does Timewind want it?"

"To breed purple cats, believe it or not," Xanthium touched her purple scar. "She's called the Crazy Cat Lady for a reason."

Vira smirked. "So that marking was caused by the amulet?"

"I was buried with it."

"The gnolls probably got to it."

"I massacred their camps several times over a few weeks ago, and there wasn't a sign."

"That's a pity," frowned Vira. "Well, we best be going. May the best forsaken win."

"May the best forsaken win," Xanthium returned. "Good luck."

"And to you," said Vira. She switched to Orcish. "C'mon, Tanis, we've got an – " she remembered Lenora's presence just on time. "We've got a thing to find!"

Tanis laughed, and followed Vira to the water.

"What did she want?" said Lenora.

"We were just catching up," said Xanthium evasively. "Think we should go ahead to brill while we're separated? It _is_ Brill we're going to, right?"

Lenora nodded.

"Why did Agatha tell you it was Brill?"

Lenora frowned. "You were buried there."

"We lived in what's now known as Deathknell. I don't see why I'd have been buried in Brill…"

"That's…. weird," said Lenora. She shrugged. "We'll have to see, _you_ know where your grave is."

"Not really, I'd have to ask Vira, she's the one who dug me up," Xanthium waved a hand.

"So she'd know where the amulet is!"

"She doesn't," said Xanthium.

"Oh," said Lenora.


	10. Long Lost Relatives are Everywhere!

Firstly, a great big thanks to everyone who reads this, bigger thanks to those who review, and thanks to those who even only glance before pressing the back button. I'm really glad this story's entertaining some of you. -Cheers- We're over the halfway marker, and this is the biggest chapter yet! I hope it doesn't disappoint!

---

"Mamma?" asked the girl. "Where are we going?"

"It's Ismene," said the adult, pulling the girl behind her in impatience. "Not that _Mamma_ nonsense."

"Mother, then."

"No," the woman stopped and looked the child in the eye. "Ismene."

She continued walking. The girl ran to catch up.

"Sorry Ismene," said the girl, trying not to show her weariness of the subject. "Where are we going?"

"None of your business, Xanthium, don't be so rude. But if it'll shut you up, we're visiting Richmond."

"Father?"

"No. _Richmond_. Not _Father_."

"He doesn't like me," said Xanthium. "He hits me."

"So? You deserve it, little twerp," said Ismene. "Come on, catch up, child!"

"Yes Ismene," said Xanthium, obediently picking up her pace. The seven year old half jogged beside her mother, whose lengthy strides took them swiftly down the cold streets of Brill.

"We're leaving here tomorrow in any case," said Ismene. "Well, _I_ am, you're staying with Richmond."

Xanthium seized her chance, though she knew it would be futile. "I want to go with you, M – Ismene!"

"_No_," said Ismene. "Now stand here, child."

Xanthium did as she was told, leaning against the icy wall in front of Ismene's pointed finger. Beside her, the mailbox loomed, frost catching torchlight and glinting, half a foot taller than the girl.

"Stand up straight!"

The child obliged, sacrificing comfort for appearance.

"Now I've got to head off," said Ismene, looking towards the east, despite her view being blocked by houses. "I'm expected in Dalaran by tomorrow night – "

"But Mamma – "

"_Ismene_! After seven years of raising you, you _still_ don't get it right!"

"But Ismene, Fa – Richmond – doesn't always come! He forgets sometimes!"

"He'll come."

"But I don't want to be by myself!"

"Be a big girl, Xanthium, not a coward!" Ismene jabbed her daughter sharply in the shoulder. "What are you, scared of the dark?"

Xanthium looked down.

"Alright," said Ismene. "If you insist on whining so much, I'll give you a couple of daggers to defend yourself with." She reached to her waist and pulled out two, sharp daggers. Their hilts were a dark red and blue in the darkness that came before dawn. Gems gleamed in their handles; a ruby and a sapphire respectively. "This is Firebite and Frostbite. And don't even _think_ about taking those crystals out. I know you like sapphires, but leave Frostbite alone! And Firebite too, come to that!"

"Yes Ismene!" Xanthium was in shock, letting Ismene strap the daggers to her waist. She was only seven, and allowed to use daggers! Like a real rogue! She beamed in pride as Ismene finished.

"There," said Ismene shortly. "Now, no more whinging from you. I'll collect you from Richmond when he's finally had enough of you."

"Three days at most," said Xanthium sadly.

"Can't come back that early, you'll have to wait at least a week, for heaven's sake Xanthium."

"Sorry Ismene," said Xanthium habitually.

"Well I'll see you whenever, Xanthium," Ismene turned on her heel, almost running from the girl.

"Goodbye Ismene," said Xanthium, fingering Frostbite's hilt.

"Goodbye, Mummy," she said once the woman was out of earshot.

---

Kali looked at me as if I was an idiot.

"What?" I said.

She continued staring at me.

"I don't get why you're so like this!" I wailed, flapping my sausage-on-a-stick about. Then I quickly blew on it. As I had planned, it had set alight, but I needed to put it out quickly. The result would be a nicely done sausage.

Kali merely sighed as I waited for it to cool. "Burn," she said.

"Duh, that's the point of _setting it on fire_," I said, jutting my chin forwards in exaggeration.

Kali reached over with what we had dubbed as the "Cooking Stick" (Or Dur Kan in Orcish) and tried to nudge my sausage from where it was impaled on the thin piece of wood. "Hotplate," she said. "Sausage."

"Hey!" I said, wrenching my stick from her way.

"Burn," Kali repeated, rolling her eyes and leaving my cooking implement and me alone.

"_Thank you_," I said, relaxing my shoulders and putting my food over the top of the flames. The troll smirked, snickering.

Then I realised why. I had set my sausage on fire again.

"Crap!" I quickly blew it out, but the stick had singed and the sausage dropped into the fire. I swore even louder and tried to get it out, finally snatching the Cooking Stick from the smug troll who was trying her best not to laugh and stabbing my sausage, bringing it out and blowing.

My sausage was now completely black. I dropped it onto my plate and surrendered the Cooking Stick to Kali, who was failing in her endeavour, tiny (though somewhat cute) squeaks erupting from her throat.

"I hate you," I said, leering. She poked her tongue out at me. Ew.

I poked my sausage carefully with my fingers, waiting for it to cool down as Kali tested the rock we were using as a hot plate. She stabbed some bread with the Cooking Stick and held it in front of the fire.

"See?" I said. "Told you it works!"

"Sausages burn," she said.

I bit into my sausage and shrieked, spitting it into my hand. I inspected it carefully. Even though the outside was as black and singed as ashes, the inside was still pink.

"Sausages burn," repeated Kali. "No _cook_."

"I really hate you now," finally my stomach gave in to the long wait for the sausages on the hot plate Kali had just put on to cook. It would be a while, I had known from experience. I had always wondered why Lenora didn't simply cook her sausages on a stick. I guess I had my answer. Lenora was always better at this than I was.

Kali waved the Cooking Stick, and her piece of nicely toasted bread with melted cheese, at me.

"I really, _really_ hate you now."

She smirked. She bit into it. "Fooled ya," she said.

"Hardly," I answered.

Then I remembered the day I had first met her. Remembered Kali, standing over the dead centaur that had almost whipped Lenora's ass and mine. She had defeated it solely with a dagger, then used a deviate to change into a human. "Fooled ya!" she had said.

I had almost forgotten. She had defeated a centaur that, with years of training, Lenora and I could not. With a dagger. Yet she was a "failed hunter". What was she, then, to use a dagger so well, but a rogue?

I watched Kali as she stood up and prowled behind a bird, perhaps wanting to catch it for our meal; she hated sausages. A pigeon, by the looks of it. As it gave her a nonchalant glance and flew off, I changed my mind. Whatever Kali was, it wasn't a rogue. I gave a cough as the wind changed and blew smoke and ash into my face from the fire. I smirked at Kali as she came back.

She said something in Orcish to me and sat down with a huff. It sounded like, "I really, really, _really_ hate you!"

Suddenly she stiffened; silent, alert.

"What is it?" I said. Realising how stupid it was to say that to someone who barely spoke Common, I tensed too, listening.

There was an audible _crunch_ of wet leaves. Kali and I looked towards the pile of rocks we were camping beside. Kali jumped up, poised to attack.

"Xanthium?" I said.

Suddenly there was a yell and I doubled over, winded after something large and heavy had lunged into my stomach. "Human traitor!" shrieked a familiar sounding voice, jumping after Kali. I stared at the ground, trying to regain my breath, and gave another gasp as I felt something sharp sink into my shoulder and withdraw as quickly as it had stabbed me. "Die, troll scum!"

"Xanthium!" I shrieked. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

I heard Kali cry out, before our attacker stopped. "Who?" she said. "Say that again?"

I looked up and saw a face I hadn't seen for years. "Xanthium?" I said. The girl in front of us, looking a year older than Lenora, looked identical to Xanthium back in the days before Lordaeron had fallen, down to the messed up black hair. But Xanthium was mean to be… "What the – ? You're… you're alive!"

The girl's face grew grave. "She's dead, then. I guess we've failed."

"What?" I held my left hand to my right shoulder, trying to put pressure on the wound and ignoring the blood, which flowed between my fingers. Kali moaned, in a crumpled heap, her dagger tipped with red. "Kali! What have you _done_ to her?"

The girl's eyes flashed as I crawled to Kali, ignoring my protesting stomach muscles. "She's a member of the Horde," said the girl, spitting on the ground. "I should have killed her."

"Idiot!" I snarled, trying to roll Kali on to her back. She responded by sitting up and vomiting, barely missing me. Blood. Oh no, she had received something in the gut as well. I looked towards the stranger – a paladin, holding a large hammer – trying to ignore the smell which made me threaten to gag. Great. "Kali, just calm down…"

"She stabbed you," said Lily.

I blinked. "What?"

"By accident, I think. The dagger kind of went into your shoulder instead of me…"

I looked back at Kali. I had no idea what to do in the case of internal bleeding. The paladin rolled her eyes. "If you're so insistent," she said. "I'll heal you both."

A minute and two flashes of holy light later, Kali and I were blinking up in surprise at her.

"I'm looking for someone," said the girl. "Or someone dead, now."

Understanding dawned on me. "Xanthium!"

"Xanthium Carefall," said the girl. "She's my sister. I'm Lily – my mother calls me Xanthette sometimes, though, but I prefer Lily."

"Xanthium?" said Kali, and we exchanged glances.

Well, _I _wasn't going to break the news to her that her sister was a forsaken.

"I didn't know she _had_ a sister," I said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if _she_ doesn't," said Lily. She quickly corrected herself. "Didn't, I mean. Mother… abandoned her before I was born. She was only seven at the time, but was given two daggers to defend herself."

I remembered the daggers that Xanthium had always had with her for as long as I could remember, but I couldn't recall their names. They had been identical in all except for colour – one was red, the other blue.

A word occurred to me. "Frostbite," I said.

"And Firebite," nodded Lily.

"She still has them," I said.

"So she _is_ alive?" said Lily hopefully, her eyes widening.

I glanced at Kali, in what would usually be an exchange of looks if she had any idea what we were on about. "Um," I said. "It's complicated."

"How?"

I chose to tell her the truth.

"Someone set her on fire at Menethil."

"What?" Lily gasped. "Those bastards! Who would do such a thing?"

"A gnome mage, apparently," I said. "Xanthium was… er… avoiding people."

Suddenly I wished, but not for the first time, that Lenora was here. She would know what to say to Lily. If Lily reacted like this to a troll, how would she to knowing her own sister was a forsaken?

Then something occurred to me.

"Why are you looking so far north for your sister, anyway?" I asked.

Lily stared at me for a moment, hesitating, before answering, through tears, "Looking for Xanthium isn't my prime mission," she admitted. "I was hoping I would come across her up here while searching for her. I'm not being very successful, though I've come across you. You look like my mother."

Ismene. I had never met her, but from what Xanthium used to tell Lenora and me about her, I hated her. Ismene had done nothing but tried to avoid the responsibility of raising a child for the seven years she had one. As far as Xanthium was concerned, my mother Agatha was her mother now – though she would correct herself the times her tongue slipped.

"I'm Xanthium's cousin," I said. "My name is Alex. This is Kali. We got separated from our party; my sister, Lenora, a tauren and… a forsaken."

"Why are you travelling with the Horde?"

"To be honest? Our mother made us. Plus, one of them follows us around anyway."

I had never given much thought to _why_, exactly, Xanthium had followed us. Now it occurred to me, I frowned slightly.

Lily smirked. "I'd heard a lot about Pansy's convincing skills," she said.

"She's not called Pansy anymore. And she's married – until our father died, anyway. Her name's now Agatha Timewind."

"Agatha?" said Lily sharply. "I met an Agatha Timewind! In Durotar! When I had snuck there in the night to filch some copper for my armour!"

I groaned. I couldn't believe it. So close to a cousin, and we hadn't known!

"She shooed me away. That's all she did, and I'm her niece!" Lily covered her eyes with a hand. "The nerve of it!"

"Did she threaten you with the wrath of cats?"

"Actually, she did," said Lily. "Believe it or not, it was pretty damn scary."

I laughed, and beside me Kali looked from me to the paladin nervously. She had no idea what we were on about. "What are you doing up here, then?" I asked Lily.

"Family mission," said Lily. "Top secret."

"I _am_ family."

"Not immediate family," Lily shrugged. "Apologies… but it's best if it remains this way. You'd kill me if you knew."

"All the more reason to tell me."

Lily flashed me a grin. "Not in my case," she said. "I'd rather be alive, thank you very much. What happened to my sister after… after she…?" her face grew solemn again, and I saw more tears shining in her eyes.

"Have you ever _met_ her?" I said, stalling.

Lily shook her head. "No. But I always wanted to. Mum was so ashamed for the way she treated her… and it's almost thirty years after Xanthium was born. I guess Mother'll never be forgiven."

If I knew our Xanthium, I knew that she would prefer _revenge_ to _forgiveness_, family or not. She _hated_ Ismene. She would probably dislike Lily as well – Xanthium said she despised paladins. "Annoying bastards," she used to say when she was _really_ alive. "Think they're so great. Well they can shove their holy light where the sun don't shine!"

"Where are you headed?" Lily asked after the pause.

"Hillsbrad," I said reflexively, then cursed under my breath.

"Why Hillsbrad?"

"We had some friends fall off Thandol Span. That's the closest way to get back up."

"Lucky for me, that's the direction I'm heading. Want to travel together? The raptors around here are nasty. I saw one following a tauren a few hours ago. I think it wanted food or something, judging by the look on its face."

"A tauren?" My eyes widened.

"A hunter's pet kind of way. Speaking of pet, she had a nightsaber stalker with her. Was that the tauren you're looking for?"

Peacebloom wasn't a hunter. I sighed. "No," I said. "And as for travelling…" I trailed off. She stared at me expectantly, hopefully. "Sure," I said. We could always lose her later, though guilt rose at the thought. "Don't see why not!"

---

"Can you keep a little behind me when you're following?" said Peacebloom.

The raptor raised a ridged eyebrow.

"I mean, I'm _sick_ of those males that think they're so buff and try to rescue me from the Big Bad Raptor! Actually, that paladin from a few hours ago looked like she wanted to rescue _you_."

The raptor snickered.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Peacebloom rarely rolled her eyes, but this time she did. "Come on, you. I'm not feeding you. You'll have to hunt for yourself. Unless you give me beer or something."

The raptor nodded, as Peacebloom set off north once more.

---

Dusk came upon us so quickly we set up tents in the dark. Lily had her own, tiny canvas and looked like she envied Kali's. We head to bed immediately, curling up in our thick, wool sleeping bags against the cold.

This was our first night separated from the others. I hoped they had _somehow_ managed to swim on Hillsbrad – or that they had found a bank to sleep on during the night, but even so their tents must be soaked through. Who had fallen? I wondered. Who was the last one that had strayed?

I worried for Lenora. Peacebloom could turn into a seal, or a lion with thick fur. Xanthium would be alright – she was _dead_, after all, she could cope easily. But Lenora could freeze in the night… if she was with Xanthium, the undead couldn't keep her warm due to having no body temperature.

Knowing Xanthium, the forsaken would probably suggest killing someone and cuddling up to their corpse before the heat was lost. Instead of shuddering, that thought cracked a smile.

Thinking of that, I became aware of my heavy eyelids, the warmness of the sleeping bag, how I was curled up so snugly… and before I knew it I was asleep.

---

She was wide awake with fear, eyes open to a width they hadn't been for a long time, the night's chill freezing her bones, making them creak despite her age. Hunger cut into her more sharply than the daggers at her waste. She needed to eat. She had almost been alone for a full day and night, and hadn't eaten at all. She _needed_ to _eat_. She knew she would starve if she didn't find something soon!

Loyally, so eager to impress her mother, Xanthium had remained by the wall for _hours_ before her bursting bladder finally shooed her into a bush. After, she had returned loyally, waiting.

For nothing.

Hours later, in the dead of night after a long day full of nothing but loneliness and longing, she was forced to face three things.

One, she was hungry.

Two, her father wasn't coming.

Three, her mother wouldn't care.

Ismene had left her alone. Ismene had left her in the cold with no food, only faith in her ex and two daggers which Xanthium couldn't eat if she tried.

She was exhausted, her body threatening to let her collapse onto the hard ground and sleep for years. She was hungry, the gaping hole in her stomach yearning to be filled. She was cold, her tiny, frail body shuddering violently, her fingers so numb with cold that she could barely feel them – and when she could, they brought dull pain. She wrapped her hands around her neck as if to strangle herself, breathing in sharply at the icy contact, but relieved to feel warmth flood into her fingers.

Why wasn't she dead yet? Even at seven years old Xanthium knew she should have died already, of the cold if not by some sadistic murderer's hand. She didn't cry. Her tears had dried up long ago, after her stubborn hope had faded. She wished she would cry again – her tears were so warm. She curled up into a tighter ball on the ground at the sound of footsteps, trying to ignore the frosty air blowing gently around her. She wished she would need the bathroom again, that would warm her up too, to a certain extent.

The footsteps stopped. Xanthium held her breath, pretending to be a rock. It fooled other kids, hopefully it would fool whoever had approached her. She didn't feel fear. She had felt mindless all night, ever since she stopped crying. She had felt numb, unfeeling. If someone hurled all of Ismene's insults at her in one go, she wouldn't have reacted. She didn't care.

Suddenly, she was aware of a warmth inside her. Tiny, flickering.

Savage. And growing.

"Are you alright?" said a tender, male voice above her.

Xanthium had never felt that kind of warmth before, but she knew what it was. She hadn't felt it so strong in her life – and here it was, saving that same life. It had lain dormant for years, she now realised, waiting for the moment when it couldn't betray her and make her run away to her death. Here she was, helpless and lonely.

Anger would comfort her. Rage would keep her warm. Hatred would keep her alive.

She would survive. She knew it.

"I'm _fine_!" she snarled, jumping to her feet and away from the shocked looking man. "What do you want? If Richmond sent you, go tell him to jump off a cliff! If _Ismene_ sent you, tell her I don't care!"

That felt good. "I don't care!" Xanthium shrieked again. "I don't _care_! She's not my mother! She never was! She never freaking will be! I hate her, I hate everything she does, I hate the way she talks and the way she walks! And I hope she _dies_!"

Xanthium's hands flew to the daggers at her waist. How nice it would feel to use them…

"Shhh," said the man, recovering from his shock. Plainly, he had never met a homicidal seven year old before. "Shh, it's alright. I want to help you."

"I don't need help," Xanthium said reflexively, but both parties knew it was a lie.

"I work at an orphanage not far away."

"My moth – Ismene –" Xanthium stuttered, straining to correct herself. "Told me not to – I mean – I don't go with strangers," she finally settled with.

"It's alright," the man gave Xanthium a scrap of cloth. "Do you recognise this?"

She did. The insignia of the orphanage – and she realised, looking up, that he wore the robes of the workers there. They patrolled the streets every night looking for children who were homeless, to take them in, to feed, to clothe.

And now, Xanthium finally realised, she was homeless. A plan formed in her mind. Ismene would realise she was gone. She would look for her. And when she found Xanthium in the orphanage, she would feel so sorry for her and take her back. She would let Xanthium call her _Mamma_, she would hug Xanthium and give her the attention Xanthium had been yearning for all of her life, lavishing it on her as they were reunited.

"I'll come, then," Xanthium said, her expression changing to a smile. "But I'm keeping Frostbite and Firebite," she gripped the daggers. "They're mine."

Ismene would be so proud of her for taking good care of them.

The man frowned, concerned, but nodded, and let Xanthium follow him to her new life.

---

I woke up in the night. At first, I couldn't figure out why, blinking, slightly dazed, against the freezing night air. A cutting draught blew into my face, and I shivered violently.

"Alex?" said a nervous voice.

I squinted at the tent opening. "Lenny?" I said.

"Alex," said the voice again.

No. That wasn't Lenora. Lenora… wasn't here! I felt my heart sink. Lenora could have drowned, for all I knew. I sat up wearily, trying to ignore the cold, rubbing my eyes. I saw a silhouette peering into the tent – someone had lit a campfire. Was it dawn already?

"Alex?"

"Lily?" I said. "No, Kali?"

"Kali," said the voice. The troll crept inside. I eyed her up. She hadn't changed from the clothes she had worn yesterday (today?). "Dark. No dark."

"I can't get rid of the friggen night," I said, closing my eyes and curling up again, trying to return to the feeling of warmth. Kali settled down beside me. "You must be freezing. What are you doing, anyway?"

"Xanthium," she said.

"Is Xanthium back?"

"Xanthium," she said. "No Xanthium. No Peacebloom."

Suddenly it dawned on me. Xanthium had been complaining that the troll was occasionally coming into her tent during the night – or Peacebloom's – murmuring about feeling lonely. I guessed Kali was too wary of Lily to try anything on her, so came to me instead.

I sighed in exasperation. "Get your sleeping bag," I said.

She cocked her head.

"Sleep," I said, mimicking. I patted the ground beside me. She gave me a questioning look, and I nodded. Beaming, she headed out, returning a minute later with her own bag. For some reason that made me smile, feeling her curl up beside me, content and happy. She was much more relaxed now, and in turn, I felt more in ease.

Aware of the strange, mysterious darkness hiding things outside us – hiding the fate of our friends – I didn't blame her for being nervous as heck.

---

Peacebloom woke up to the raptor nuzzling her face. She had slept with it curling its body around her, and now it was uneasy. Grudgingly, she obeyed, getting up. The green foothills weren't its home, and never would it be, and yet the creature followed her. Peacebloom never wondered why.

But now it was warning her of intruders. Peacebloom could tell by the guarded expression on its face – though normal Hordies would say that it looked the same way _all_ raptors did. Peacebloom looked up, and squeed with joy as she saw two sodden figures climbing up the bank.

But where were the other two?

---

"Uh, we've found one," Lenora said before flopping herself on the sand. "And what's with the raptor?"

"Kali and Alex wouldn't have passed here, then," said Xanthium. "Good thing we've avoided the naga."

"How do you know?"

"Because plainly Peacebloom's been waiting here. She might be hyperactive and alcoholic, but she's got _some_ brains, at least," Xanthium greeted the bouncy tauren in her native language. A brief discussion followed. "Apparently the raptor just follows her around. It won't even let her give it a name. She just calls it 'the raptor'."

Lenora didn't see how this was necessary, but said nothing.

"We should head to the highlands," said Xanthium.

"We've been swimming half the night," groaned Lenora.

"Do we want to catch up with them or not?"

"Can't we just camp here?"

Xanthium sighed. "You stay with Peacebloom – right _here_, don't wander off even if the tauren goes after a freaking butterfly – and I'll look around for them."

"Thanks Xan. But don't get sidetracked."

Xanthium knew perfectly well what kind of _sidetracked_ Lenora meant. "Just give me ten minutes and I'll take care of the nagas before I go," she said. "It's only a matter of time before they become curious."

Lenora knew perfectly well otherwise, but let Xanthium go. "Have fun," she said.

"Oh, I _will_," Xanthium grinned.

Lenora had no doubt about _that_.

---

It must have been ten o' clock or something in the morning. Lily made no comment about finding the troll in my tent after we got up, but proceeded to ignore her for the rest of the morning as well. It suited Kali just fine.

But when I caught sight of a field of dead raptors, I knew all hell was going to break loose, and soon. It seemed we had almost caught up with one of our party, but there was no chance of soon losing Lily. It must have been Peacebloom and Lenora that had fallen off the bridge. As Xanthium would say: Drat.

When Xanthium unstealthed herself, Lily screamed. Ignoring the paladin, Xanthium said, "We're near that giant wall thingie at the border of Hillsbrad. Lenora and Peacebloom are camped nearby. And there's a raptor following Peacebloom around."

I was reminded of what Lily had said to me about the hunter with two pets. "Is Ash with her?"

"Yes, actually. Barely noticed him."

Relief. "I'm glad they're alright."

"Yeah," said Xanthium, turning around to look at Lily. "I see you've picked up a new travelling – "

Xanthium broke off.

Xanthium stared.

Lily stared back.

I stared at both of them.

Kali stared at _me_.

"What?" I said to the troll.

"You look a lot like Alex," said Lily, ignoring me.

"Who the _hell_ are _you_?" Xanthium was suddenly the savage forsaken that had threatened Lenora's life on the boat, in a time that had seemed so far away. She snarled, hunching over slightly.

"My name's Lily."

I spoke, my voice shaking and high pitched. "Kali and I discovered a long lost relative yesterday."

Xanthium looked at me critically. Her mood had changed from homicidal to _you don't want to know_.

"You have _got_ to be joking."

"Nope," I said, sweating slightly.

"Are you…" Lily almost was afraid to say it. Here it came. "Are you Lenora? His sister?"

Xanthium's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. She didn't want Lily to know who she was. "Who are _you_?" she snapped back. "No, I'm not Lenora. Lenora's up at Hillsbrad."

"I'm Lily. Lily Greenwing."

"_Greenwing_?"

"Used to be Carefall, but I went with my mother. When my parents divorced, I mean."

"What? _Again_? How many times now?"

"Two years ago was the fourth."

"_Jeez_! And… you didn't go with your father?" Xanthium was genuinely shocked.

"He couldn't care less."

Under her breath, Xanthium muttered. "Tell me about it." She rose her voice. "What about your mother?"

"Oh, she was glad she didn't have to share me."

Xanthium clenched her fist.

"We're up here looking for my sister, actually."

"Which one?"

Lily blinked. "I've only got one sibling," she said. "I've never met her. Her name's Xanthium. Alex told me she died when someone in Menethil… set her on fire."

Her eyes were misting up again. Xanthium shot me a glare, but I noticed her eyes watering. I thought she was physically incapable of crying? She had often complained to me she needed to rinse them with water to avoid her sight blurring, and here she was... crying.

"What?" I said. "I just told her they set – " I caught myself just in time. "They set Xanthium on fire! I never said what happened after!"

Xanthium rolled her eyes. "It'll do," she said to me.

"What?" said Lily. "I don't… what happened?"

"None of your business, kid. What are you doing with Alex?"

"I just found him here," said Lily. "I had no idea I had cousins."

"Agatha cut herself off from the Greenwings long before Xanthium was born," said the forsaken. "No wonder."

"Alex told me she changed her name. I even ran into her once."

"Huh. Durotar?"

"Yes. She chased me off. Had no idea she was an aunt. Mistook her for my mother, at first, actually."

"Don't you dare compare Agatha to Ismene," Xanthium rolled her eyes. "Agatha isn't _anything_ like Ismene. And for that, I'm freaking _glad_. Ismene's a terrible mother, don't think I don't know what happened to Xanthium."

"Mother… feels so guilty for it," Lily lowered her eyes. "She wanted to find Xanthium… to make it up to her, to be a mother again…"

"To ease her own conscience or for the good of her child?" snapped Xanthium. Lily didn't answer, so Xanthium went on. "If Xanthium wanted her, she would have found her."

"Xanthium's great at tracking people down," I said.

Lily nodded without looking up.

"Xanthium hates Ismene more than Ismene ever hated _her_," said Xanthium. "And believe me, kid, that's _saying something_."

"Mother never…"

"Oh, she did. Did you know she left Xanthium, a seven year old child, out in the cold streets of Brill in the dead of winter? Did you know how heartbroken Xanthium was when her mother never came forward to claim her, after being taken to the orphanage? Not even her father cared. He still doesn't. _She_ doesn't."

"Xanthium or Mother?"

"Both," said Xanthium shortly. "Personally, I hope Ismene meets a very grisly death for what she did."

"Were you close to Xanthium?"

"Extremely," said Xanthium. I saw her mouth twitch, and knew that if we hadn't been talking to Lily Xanthium would be smirking. "And in any case, what are you doing up _here_ for Xanthium?"

"We were… looking for her alongside another mission," said Lily. "We've looked everywhere. We've even been to Kalimdor – I was looking for her that time my aunt chased me off."

I opened my mouth. "I thought – " Lily silenced me with a look. Kali didn't say anything – I didn't expect her to. She didn't even look quizzical; she had already made the connections by the way Xanthium snapped at Lily, her look-alike. Or, so I had guessed.

"Well Lily," said Xanthium, gripping her daggers tightly underneath her cloak, arms crisscrossed over her stomach to touch them. "If you were hoping to find Xanthium, you'd better turn back. She isn't going to show up."

"She's still alive," said Lily.

Xanthium raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that, kid?"

"You've been speaking about her in present tense," said Lily. "As if she's still alive. And Alex didn't tell me what happened after that gnome set her on fire."

"Two plus two equals four," said Xanthium. "What do you _think_ happens after someone gets set on fire? They fart angel dust?"

"No need to be patronising."

"I'll do what I _bloody_ _well_ _want_," snapped Xanthium. "And _no one_ can stop me, least of all you or Ismene."

"What did we ever do to you?" said Lily with a glare.

"Does she want a freaking _list_?" Xanthium shot me a sceptical look.

"I think you know a lot more about Xanthium's whereabouts than you're telling me," Lily looked at me.

"What?" I said to both women.

"Can't you shut up for a single second?" Xanthium withdrew her right hand, revealing Firebite. Lily gave a gasp. "Or shall I carve your mouth out for you so you _will_?"

"That's Xanthium's!" said Lily.

"Oh?"

"Mother told me about her daggers! Firebite and Frostbite!" said Lily. "And… you never told me your name."

"Not important, kid," said Xanthium. "Even if it wasn't, I wouldn't tell you. Anonymity is something rogues value."

"I know," said Lily. "But please, do tell me…"

Xanthium hesitated. "Lira," she finally said, lying through her teeth. "It's Lira."

"Oh," said Lily.

I hoped fervently that Lenora wouldn't cry out Xanthium's name as soon as we met up with her again.

"How far away are the others?" I asked.

"Three hours," said Xanthium. "Or so. Perhaps more, perhaps less. Come on, Alex and Kali."

"I'm coming," Lily held her chin up high.

Xanthium eyed her nonchalantly. "Whatever," she said. Lily blinked in surprise. I think she had been expecting Xanthium to argue. "Just behave. And don't sing Ismene's praises."

"I… don't mean to."

"Good, because if there's someone who doesn't deserve them, it's Ismene."

And with that, Xanthium sheathed her dagger with a _clank!_

---

Lenora kept her eye on the path, grateful for a day of rest. In spite of the night's swim and of the rest, she couldn't fall asleep. She watched four travellers walk onto the road from the "giant wall thingy" as Xanthium had once called it. She couldn't see them clearly, but from the way one of them walked it looked like a forsaken. Was it Xanthium? She couldn't be sure. But one was rather tall – a night elf? She squinted, making out a splash of blue. Yes, a night elf.

No, she told herself as they came closer. Night elves did not have tusks. She stood up, waving madly, causing Peacebloom to jerk to a start as the human she was leaning against moved. "Kali!" shrieked Lenora. "Alex!"

Both of them waved back. The forsaken – definitely Xanthium, Lenora could see – turned a full circle on a heel as she barked something at the fourth traveller, who hung back slightly. Lenora frowned. Who was she?

When they met, it was as if Lenora was back in the village they now called Deathknell, meeting Xanthium in the garden – for that was what the fourth traveller looked like.

"Geez," Alex greeted Lenora. "I'm the only guy _here_. Whoa, what's with the raptor?"

"I told you about him already," Xanthium rolled her eyes as Ash timidly came forward to greet an elated Kali, who scratched the cat's ears affectionately.

Lenora smiled at Xanthium. "Thanks for looking for them, Xa – "

"Lira's been walking all day," Alex cut in. "I think it's time we sat down and had a rest, she wouldn't let us stop."

Lenora stole a look at the stranger. Was this Lira? "Hi," she said.

"Are you Lenora?" said the stranger. Lenora nodded. "I'm Lily."

Lenora blinked, shaking the hand of Lily. Who was Lira then? She cast a suspicious glance at Xanthium. Her mouth was in a thin, hard line.

Rogues, Lenora thought. But she could see why Xanthium might have pretended to have another name – Lily looked uncannily like Xanthium down to the messy black hair, and Lenora was reminded of the days before the plague when Xanthium would stumble down the stairs in the morning, black hair plastered to her wet face after a shower, wearing only a towel and yelling at Agatha for using all the hot water on the cats' baths.

"Can we have a rest for the remainder of the day?" asked Lenora. "I've never swam so much in my life and my shoulders are _aching_."

"Don't see why not," said Xanthium without expression. "Have a sleep, I think you need it."

"I'll be able to now," murmured Lenora with a smile.

---

In the dark of the night, no one heard the nightsaber stalker leave the camp; no human, no forsaken, no troll and no tauren.

But a raptor did, lifting its sleepy head and blinking, its nostrils flaring as it inhaled the scent of the cat.

Without a sound, it followed. It followed the nightsaber stalker through the trees, its coat blending with the surroundings that turned grey in the darkness. It followed the nightsaber stalker up the hill, through the grass, and not once did the cat hear it.

Finally, the nightsaber stalker reached a small grove of trees and stretched, her form changing as she did. The night elf groaned, rolling her shoulders. "That's the last time I'm staying in _that_ form for too long," she murmured, brushing her dark blue hair free of leaves.

She tensed suddenly, her ears twitching. "Who's there?" she began to pant in fright. Had any of them seen her? _Please no! _she silently begged.

When the raptor came forward, she eyed it suspiciously. It had to be one of her kind – no, she realised, her heart sinking. It _couldn't_. It understood Taurahe. Few night elves did. Unless the elf was…

She burst into laughter as the raptor changed into a male night elf. "One of the Cenarion Circle!" she said, recognising the individual. "Oh, you have no idea how much you frightened me!"

The male grinned. "Hello, Elda," he said. "We've been worried about you."

"Since when can druids turn into _raptors_?"

"Since a long time ago," said the male. "It just hasn't been taught for thousands of years."

Her face still in a smile of relief, Elda nodded. "I see," she said. "Are you tracking them for the same reasons as I?"

"It depends what your reasons are," said the male evasively.

"What is your name?" asked Elda. "You know mine, but I don't know yours. I only know you by sight."

"Just call me Dyran," said the elf.

"Is that your real name or what you prefer to be called?"

"Both," said Dyran. "In any case, why are you following the traitors?"

"They're looking for something the druids want," said Elda. "And they paid me to do their dirty work. Actually, I was first tracking the parent of two of them – the brother and sister – and I got thrown into this party by a stroke of luck. Not that – " she blushed. " – Not that I wouldn't have followed them later, of course."

Dyran smirked. "Good luck," he said. "You'll need it. But if we work together, hopefully…"

He trailed off. Elda blinked.

"I don't see why not," said the night elf female. Smiling, Dyran nodded.

"Consider it official, then," said Dyran.


	11. Revenge is Sweet When You Enact It

When I woke up, I noticed two things. These things did not surprise me.

Firstly, Kali had somehow wormed her way into my tent during the night and cuddled up to me. I didn't bother rebuking her. Jeez, are humans really _that_ huggy?

Or was it something else?

Secondly, Xanthium had disappeared. This didn't surprise me at _all_; I had been expecting it. She had been so flighty the day before, I was shocked she hadn't backstabbed Lily and ran like she had demons on her tail.

"Where's Lira?" Lily asked us in the morning.

I looked around, noticed her tent and things gone, and said, "She ain't gonna come back." Lenora's mouth twisted into a grotesque grimace.

I felt disappointed as Lenora scouted around for her. She was our beloved cousin, and she had vanished just like _that_. Would we see her again? I hoped she would meet us at Brill. Was she depending on us to lose Lily on the way there?

"Why not?" said Lily.

"She's…" Lenora trailed off. I gave her a warning look. "Xanthium is – "

"Xanthium?" Lily sat bolt upright. "What about Xanthium?"

Lenora pressed her lips together. "Lira's one of those people whose past comes to haunt her very easily," she said. "Like Xanthium."

"I know how to find her," I said.

"Xanthium?" said Lily.

"No, Lira," I said, nodding my head to the horizon. "Just follow the trail of dead animals."

I pointed. Lily and Lenora followed the direction with their eyes, and realised there was a scattered, weak line of dead lions, bears and giant spiders leading from the camp.

"Uh," said Lenora. "Well. That's easy."

"For a rogue, she ain't such a good one," said Lily.

"She probably expected us to follow her anyway," said Lenora. "She's heading north. Where _we're_ going."

Lily looked at us, alarmed. "Why are you heading to Tirisfal?" she asked.

"What makes you think it's Tirisfal we're heading for?" I said avoidingly. "We could be going to Alterac, or the border, for all you know."

"There's nothing up north except for more wild animals and the undead," said Lily. "And a bunch of cranky dwarves. You can't be headed for Alterac Valley!"

"And Dalaran," I said.

"Dalaran's kind of in a giant, purple bubble," said Lily flatly.

I shrugged, suddenly transfixed by an invisible bug in the grass. Lenora was looking up in the clouds. Kali finished putting away her tent, dumping her bag on the flattened grass, and sat next to me.

"Why does she always lean on you like that?"

I flushed. "Damned if I know," I lied. "She's just a lean-y troll."

Lily giggled. "It's kind of cute. Someone would think you were sweethearts with the way she's acting."

"I _know_," I said bluntly.

"Then why do you let her?"

I blinked.

"If you don't like it…"

The truth was I didn't _dislike_ it either. I would _never_ admit this out loud, though. I shrugged – gently, to avoid disturbing the troll, who looked happy where she was. "She's just bloody affectionate," I said after a moment. "If I made her stop bugging me, she'd cling to you instead."

It felt like a hurtful and traitorous thing to say. I noticed Ash looking at me reproachfully. Jeez, even the bloody _cat_ was against me.

Speaking of the pets, where was the raptor?

"Where's Peacebloom?" suddenly I sat bolt upright. Kali squeaked. "Sorry, Kali," I said reflexively, and flushed when I realised what I'd said.

Lenora swivelled her head from left to right. "Maybe she followed Xanthium," she said.

"Xanthium?"

Lily had the ears of a blasted bat. Lenora and I exchanged looks.

"I think we should tell her," said Lenora. "I can't cover up my big mouth forever. And the Hordies don't even know what's going on."

"Didn't Xan – Lira – explain to them?"

"Nope. She just went and moped in her tent all yesterday, remember?"

"Tell me _what_?" said Lily harshly.

Lenora and I glanced at each other in a silent staring contest. We often did this at home – whoever blinked first would lose. The loser would do whatever we were trying to avoid.

I lost.

"Um," I said, as Lenora grinned at me in relief, before her face became a grimace of sympathy. I noticed her hands slowly moving towards her ears so she wouldn't have to hear it. "About Xanthium…"

I trailed off. Kali said something about Xanthium in Orcish. I didn't even _bother_ to wonder what she said.

"Yes?" Lily raised her eyebrow.

"She… er… survived the fire."

"What happened after?"

"It's not important," I said. Lily opened her mouth to protest.

"It isn't _important_? Of course it's important!"

"What's more important was what happened four years ago in the village we now know as Deathknell," I said. Lenora gave me a look that said _good luck_. "Nasty things happened."

"Like what?"

I looked at Lenora once more before saying, "She died there, Lily. Xanthium died."

Lily blinked. "But… so the fire in Menethil was before?"

"No."

"Then… how…?"

"She died of the _plague_, Lily," I said. I started relaying to her what Xanthium had told me the day we were camped in the wetlands, outside Menethil. "She ate the plagued bread, gave it to her squirrels, and her squirrels kind of helped kill her. Got their blood in hers when she stabbed them for attacking her."

"She stabs innocent squirrels?" Lily's brow furrowed.

"Not so much innocent as _undead_," I said, exasperated. Didn't Lily care about _Xanthium_?

Lily was still frowning, and nodded. "So she died of the plague," she said. "She's dead… after all…"

"Can dead people do _that_?" Lenora gave up letting me explain and pointed at the trail of dead animals.

"Not unless you're _un_dead," said Lily.

"Yes," said Lenora.

Lily stared at her with an eyebrow raised.

"You didn't know what happened to people once they died of the plague?"

"No, I was in Stormwind while growing up," said Lily.

"That's still no reason for ignorance," Lenora closed her eyes as if to calm herself. "Have you heard of the forsaken?"

"Of course, I _travelled_ with one yesterday!"

"Do you know how they became forsaken?"

"…No."

Honestly!

"They were scourge once," said Lenora. "But they regained her will. Xanthium has her will."

"What?" said Lily. "I have no idea what you're on about."

"The scourge are the undead who threatened Lordaeron – " Lenora said.

"I know who the _scourge_ are, but what has this got to do with my sister?"

Lenora sighed. I picked it up.

"Lily," I said. "Every single person who died and came back as scourge died of the plague."

Lily blinked.

"Not a single person who died of the plague _didn't_ become scourge," said Lenora. "Some of those regained their will."

"Like Xanthium…" said Lily. "So… she's up and walking?"

I pointed at the trail of dead animals. "Up and killing, more like."

Lenora frowned. Lily's mouth dropped open.

"_Lira_?"

---

"Hello Xanthium," said the undead with a nod, falling into step beside the rogue. "Long time no see."

"Hello Dom," Xanthium greeted the forsaken who had helped her regain her will with a nod, sheathing her blood-tipped daggers as she ducked underneath the arches through the ruins of Lordaeron's capital. "You don't seem to have changed much."

"Neither have you."

Xanthium ignored that comment. "Is it me, or are the demons outside Undercity easier to kill in one stab than normal?"

"You're getting stronger," Dom observed. "I guess you _have_ changed. Unusual for a forsaken."

"That comes from killing things a lot," said Xanthium. "And we do get better at fighting, you should know."

It had been a week since Xanthium had deserted the camp. Too angry to trust herself not to eliminate a certain troll and a certain human, she had left and wreaked havoc on the wildlife instead, all the way to Undercity.

"The Dark Lady thought you were dead. _Really_ dead, I mean."

"I got held up," said Xanthium briskly.

"You made quite the impression in Menethil. We assumed you'd died for real because we heard no reports of any forsaken after the… ah… bonfire."

"You heard about that?"

"Yes, was it only a myth? I can't see a burn _on_ you."

"I got healed. The ones that were left have recovered naturally too."

"Who would help a forsaken in Menethil?"

"That's where I got held up," in the lift down to the belly of the city, Xanthium checked Firebite and Frostbite – a nervous habit. She quickly explained running into her relatives to Dom, who nodded sympathetically. "It was the tauren who healed me," she finally concluded, after relating the events.

"Long lost sister, eh?" said Dom. "That's gotta burn."

They walked past the abomination guards through the streets of Undercity.

Dom and Vira were the only ones who knew of Xanthium's past, with the exception of Sylvanas Windrunner. "She's going to have my hide for this," said Xanthium.

"You're too useful. She was damned miffed, at first, and now she's got a job for you in the Apothecarium."

"Like what?"

"There's a woman there who was found sneaking in, looking for someone. Apparently she sent her paladin daughter to look around Undercity three days ago."

"How the heck does a _human paladin_ sneak in and not get caught?"

"Oh, believe me, she did. You'd find her name pretty interesting. As for her mother – "

"What kind of mother sends her daughter into the enemy's city?" Xanthium threw her hands into the air with exasperation. "That's just _stupid_, especially when their child could easily get killed. _Especially_ when they can't stealth like a rogue. Can't even shadowmeld."

"The same kind of mother who leaves her seven year old daughter to die in the dead of winter."

Xanthium stopped, her arms frozen above her head. "You have _got_ to be joking."

"Sylvanas never jokes. She wants you to interrogate her."

"This is some cruel, _cruel_ prank."

"You're one to talk about cruelty," Dom smirked. "The Dark Lady wants to get you back for your disobedience. You haven't completed your mission yet, have you?"

"Vira snitched it, along with some troll idiot. The mission, that is."

"Well, this is your new one."

"Please say the prisoner doesn't know about me."

"She doesn't. And quit looking at your daggers, no one's stolen them, for goodness' sake!"

Xanthium didn't apologise, grumbling under her breath and setting her eyes forward to the invisible horizon as she resumed walking. "I don't believe, that out of all the appalling jobs to give me, she gave me _this_ one! Dammit, one day I will make her _pay_!"

"Not a good idea saying that too loudly, Xanthi," murmured Dom. "She can make you cry like a baby if she wanted to."

"What is she but a snotty high elf who happened to get others to obey her?" Xanthium's hands clenched into two, grey fists. "She's too damn cold. Unemotional. She gives out commands without thought of consequence unless she's the one who'll pay them. She never changes her mind for _anyone_."

"We've got a bet at the headquarters on how long it'll take for one of us to seduce her," grinned Dom.

"Who's up for it?"

"Dern says he'll take three months. Duold says it'll take _him_ three weeks. Keever says that he has to be given twelve months, on account of having no bottom jaw. Sylvanas may be a little put off by that."

"Good luck to them," Xanthium glared at the stone walls as they made their way to the Apothecarium. "You must remember to update me on that."

"Oh, I _will_," snickered Dom. "What'll be even funnier is if one of the players genuinely falls in love with her. Now that would _suck_."

"Do you see that happening?"

"Honestly? No. Now come on, we're almost there."

"Did anyone ever catch the paladin?" Xanthium asked as they crossed a bridge, green slime bubbling below them.

"Yes. She's with Keever."

"He hasn't killed her yet, has she?"

"As a matter of fact, he's going to be testing out a batch of new poisons when they come in next week, so she's still alive."

"_Damn_," said Xanthium. "Have they tested them on the mother?"

"She's completely clean. We're going to use some of them if your interrogation techniques don't work."

"Alright," said Xanthium, checking her belt once more. She ran her right hand over the hilt of one of the daggers, feeling reassured by its touch. "Can you do me a favour, Dom?"

Dom blinked. "You _never_ ask for favours."

"As you can tell," said Xanthium. "I'm rather desperate, but don't tell anyone."

"Has it got something to do with your mother?"

"No, it has something to do with _the_ mother. As far as I am concerned, she is not my mother."

"Understood. What do you want?"

"Don't, under _any circumstances_, call me Xanthium in front of _her_. Call me Lira if you have to use a name. With any luck, my cousins didn't spill about me. Though how on earth Lily ended up in Undercity is beyond me."

"They probably separated," said Dom.

Xanthium shot him an icy look as they stood in front of a large, wooden door. "_Obviously_." Dom grinned. Xanthium checked her daggers a final time as Dom pushed the door open.

The room was almost empty, with the exception of two tables against opposite walls, potions, empty bottles and torturing devices scattered carelessly all over the top in disorganisation that made Xanthium twitch. The stone floor was so cold she could feel it through her boots. One sole chair stood not far from the tables, a hunched figure tied to it, a figure Xanthium could not make out but one that she knew she would recognise. Dom kept a careful hand on her arm as he conjured a fireball to light the torches. The woman looked up. Immediately, Xanthium felt familiar fire rage inside her, demanding for an escape. She felt it all the time – but this time, it was stronger than ever.

She didn't notice herself yelling, or Dom trying to hold her back. She didn't notice that she had drawn her two daggers. She didn't notice the ropes rendering her victim helpless to defend herself. She didn't notice the poisons that spilt onto the floor as she made an effort to thrash her way out of Dom's grip. She didn't notice anything until she felt a cool, metal object pressed to her throat – something which, in time's past, had taught her subconscious to make her _stop_ immediately before she got killed.

In front of her, Dom looked at her sternly. "Sorry I had to resort to this," he said, sheathing his knife. "But when you go into a bloodlust, this is the only thing that can stop you."

Panting purely out of habit, Xanthium looked at the floor as she replaced her daggers at her waist. She couldn't meet the eyes of the startled human in front of her.

"Try to control yourself," said Dom, his expression hard, only his eyes flashing his true concern. "This is _not_ the time to get you into such a state."

Xanthium clenched her fist. She did _not_ want to be chastised like a _child_ in front of _that woman_, out of all people. She looked up, glaring into Dom's eyes. How could she regain her pride in the sight of the human who had done nothing but tear it down? She had to prove herself. One way or another.

"Keep your tongue behind your teeth, or I'll cut it out for you!" she snarled, sheathing Firebite and Frostbite – only now realising what danger there was in exposing them. Only Dom's slight frown betrayed the confusion he held. Xanthium turned to the woman.

"So, what information do we want out of her?"

"Well, we know her name is Ismene Green – "

"I _said_ what information do we _want_?"

"We want to know what she was doing around here," said Dom. "Who she's with. The usual, basically. As much information as you can get out of her. Sylvanas said use any means, as long as you keep her conscious and alive."

"That can be arranged," to Xanthium's sadistic satisfaction, the human paled, looking on the brink of panic. "And what we know so far?"

"Only her name, and that was because the rogue was foolish enough to inscribe it upon her dagger's blade," Dom handed the weapon to Xanthium, who inspected it carefully.

As a little girl, she had looked at Ismene's weapons often, and she recognised this old one – she had cut herself with it when she was three, causing Ismene to fly into such a rage Xanthium had hid from her for a month afterwards. Its hilt had been replaced, but she still recognised the blade itself – stained with black blood, no doubt drained from undead. Xanthium ran a finger along the edge.

"It's not that sharp," she said, frowning. "Some rogue you are, to let your blades blunt."

"And you would know?" the prisoner looked defiantly up at Xanthium, who stared back. Ismene's determined expression wavered.

"Oh yes," said Xanthium, placing the dagger on the table. "I'm a rogue myself. Like mother, like daughter. I've brutally murdered people and creatures more than you can count."

"I saw your daggers…"

Xanthium's face twisted into a smug smirk as she drew Frostbite. "Yes."

"Where did… where did you get them? I had them custom made… for my daughter."

Xanthium snorted. "I could tell you anything, really," she said. "I could tell you I scavenged them years ago from the corpse of a child who had frozen to death…"

Ismene blanched. Dom's mouth twitched in admiration. What other kinds of torture would get information out of this stubborn human, but emotional manipulation?

"A… a child? How long ago?"

"Twenty, I'd say," said Xanthium. "I was but a child myself. I could have found her corpse and left it, taking the daggers home to my _responsible_ parents, who would not let me touch anything sharp again until they returned these to me upon my seventeenth birthday. But what am I saying? That might not be the story at all. I could have brutally murdered a twenty year old, raven haired woman seven years ago and killed her with these daggers, the very same she was wielding."

To horrified to be suspicious, Ismene said nothing.

"Or I could have stolen them from the lich king's servants," said Xanthium. "Who knows?"

Eyes almost blinded by tears, Ismene asked, "Where's my daughter?"

Xanthium raised her eyebrows.

"Xanthi… where is she?"

Her heart lurched. "Xanthi?"

Dom's face was unreadable. He knew who Ismene was referring to.

"Xanthette… Lily… where is she?"

With a roar, Xanthium turned and stabbed the table, the blade going through the wood to the hilt.

"Dead," said Dom. Xanthium almost believed him, trying to wrench Frostbite from the table. _Drat!_ "We made her bleed to death. Carved a hole in her stomach and hung her up. The necromancers will probably use her for the next abomination they make."

Ismene choked. Xanthium was silent.

"Isn't that a nice fate for your child?" she finally said quietly. "To be undead, with no pulse, no warmth from your body? The nights are so cold, as cold as the winter in Brill, but you can't even warm up without a fire. Sometimes forsaken wake up riddled with parasites, and it takes weeks of agony to get rid of the damned things – sometimes months."

Ismene was still, staring at the ground, her only movement being the tears that streamed down her face.

"Dratted dagger!" Xanthium growled, giving one final pull before she gave up.

"I'll get some oil," said Dom nonchalantly. He was used to this.

Suddenly there was a screech coming from the wall – and only then did Xanthium realise there was another door. It exploded open, and a human ran out, tripping and falling to the floor in a sob. _Lily!_ Xanthium realised with a jolt.

"Oh _no_!" Dom groaned in Gutterspeak, as another undead rushed into the room in a flash of maroon.

"Get back here! Keever's not finished!" he hissed, his voice piercing the thoughts of all – his tongue hung limply by his neck with no lower jaw to support it.

"Mother!" Lily cried, crawling up to her feet. She saw Xanthium, and she froze, her eyes widening.

"Um," said Dom. "Keever, shut up and hide, all hell is about to break loose."

Xanthium felt her old anger return. Here the young paladin – a stupid woman who blindly blundered into the room – called Ismene _mother_, a privilege Xanthium had never been granted! Xanthium had been doing all she could to impress her mother while she had been a child, but Ismene wasn't even angry at Lily for almost getting herself killed!

With an angry noise, Xanthium drew Firebite, its ruby glinting dangerously in the lamplight.

Lily swallowed, as Xanthium came slowly closer. Dom gave a yell as he realised what the forsaken was doing. "Please," said Lily. "Please…"

Xanthium gave her a sceptical look. "Do you honestly think I'm going to grant _either_ of you anything?"

She spat on the ground, and looked back towards them. She heard Dom draw his weapon, watching her for any signs of her fury.

"Please…" said Lily again. "I didn't…" she began to cry. _Pathetic creature!_ "I never did anything…"

"You were running around Undercity unchecked, Lily," Ismene did not smile. "Of course you pissed them off."

"Mother – "

"No, Ismene," said Xanthium. "_This_… this is personal."

Ismene frowned. "What?"

"Mother," said Lily. "She's – "

"Do you want to give me a reason to hate you even more?" said Xanthium.

"But Xanthi – " Lily stopped herself, reaching up a hand to wipe her eyes. "Please… please, we can sort this out…"

"Please stop giving me crap," said Xanthium bluntly. "Now, do you _mind_? I was telling a story. This _lovely lady here_," her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Was wanting to know how I got a hold of these two _lovely_ daggers which have served me so well in murdering hundreds. How, I think I'll give her an answer."

Keever gave Dom a look. Despite only knowing Xanthium by sight, he knew her reputation. "Keever agrees that hiding may be a good idea."

"She's gonna blow," said Dom.

Ignoring the fresh wave of hatred which barged into her mind, threatening to charge into her limbs and control the dagger in her hand, Xanthium walked forward and ran the dagger down the centre of Ismene's face, down to her nose. "See?" she said, watching the thin, shallow line drip slightly. "It's still sharp. And you want to know how I got it?"

"Yes…" Ismene said, releasing her pent up breath as Xanthium turned away and stepped once, twice, three times.

There was silence.

"How?" Lily finally said.

Only Dom noticed Xanthium's casual flick to her belt. "Funny you should ask," she said, without turning around. Then suddenly, she snarled, her voice raising in a screech with every syllable that was dripping with hatred that had built up over twenty years. "My mother gave them to me before she left me to die!"

She whirled around, but Dom was too late – Xanthium had thrown the dagger towards the chair, towards her mother's heart. Whirling around without a second glance back, she stormed out of the room, rage making her wish she had weapons on her hand. She heard Dom and even Keever call after her, but though she heard them she didn't register the voices, wanting to cause harm to someone, something, _anything_. With an angry roar she punched the wall, the fingers of her right hand breaking as her weak bones shattered – but she did not notice gravity coax blood out as she continued on her way, did not notice the pain, only the emotion she had tried to shove away, stifle, and ignore for twenty years. Only the jealousy, the envy of Lily, who she had only known the existence of for a week.

Why her, and not Xanthium? Why was Lily loved? Why did _she_ get to call Ismene mother? Why had she grown up with her biological parent? Why had Ismene asked after _her_, concerned for her _youngest_ daughter? Why did Ismene call her a daughter? Ismene had never referred to Xanthium as "my daughter". Never.

As Xanthium reached the canals, she hesitated for only a second before plunging into green, glowing slime. It was warm – the only warmth in this chilling place, the only gentle warmth that wasn't the greedy caresses of fire. She waded through the thick substance underneath the bridge, closed her eyes and lowered herself in steadily until she was completely immersed. She didn't need to breathe. She was _dead_.

The warmth was comforting. Xanthium hadn't felt this kind of warmth since she had lived with Agatha and her children in the village they now called Deathknell. Even then, she had been an outsider. She considered Agatha her mother – her _real_ mother – but even in Deathknell she had been an outsider, despite her pretence to belong, with her squirrels, traps, suspicious nature, paranoid disposition and her urge to _kill_ things, inspired by rage which had tempted an innocent, seven year old girl. An urge which she was, today, enslaved to. She had known this, and she had fought it – throwing the dagger, a part of her mind, the part of her that still yearned for Ismene's approval, hoping beyond hope she would miss. She had buried Frostbite in the wood to stop herself from hurting her mother, and she had tossed her last dagger away. She was weaponless. She couldn't hurt anyone now. Least of all oblivious Ismene.

She would never forgive Ismene. She would never forgive _herself_. Part of her felt seven years old again, wanting to impress Ismene and earn the right to call her _mother_. Part of her was seething – the burning anger that threatened to consume her entirely.

Suddenly it dawned on her. It was this rage that the Dark Lady wanted from her. The Dark Lady knew she was powerful. The Dark Lady had wanted this frenzy to come forward during the interrogation – and now, as a result, Xanthium was more powerful, yet weaker, so, so weak…

Part of her felt seven years old again. Part of her was furious.

And the rest of her?

She didn't know at all…


	12. Relatives Suck

It had been a week since Xanthium had vanished, and as we had expected, the trail of dead animals led to Undercity. Several days ago Lily had excused herself and followed Xanthium's example, and Peacebloom _still_ had not shown up either.

"I swear," Lenora said over the crackling of the campfire once. "This party keeps getting cut into pieces. I think someone's out to get us."

She was joking, but my face was grim. It was just Lenora, Kali, Ash and I. Ash kept glowering at me as if I'd done something.

"What?" I said to the cat, who spat at me before entangling himself in Kali's legs.

Over that week, Lenora had taken it upon herself to teach Kali Common. Kali could now speak extremely broken sentences.

"Words first," said Lenora in explanation. "Grammar later. I'm just teaching her the stuff she needs to know."

"She'll have to unlearn what grammar she _does_ know," I pointed out. "Aren't you making it harder?"

Lenora had just shrugged, and when Kali started talking about "murder", "that damn cat", "homicidal maniacs" and "long lost cousins" I pretended not to be surprised.

As it was, we soon came across the lonely town of Brill. At once, Kali herself had vanished, much to our disbelief.

"Great," said Lenora. "Now there's just the two of us."

---

Xanthium prowled the familiar streets, stabbing an old mailbox that once stood taller than she did and revelling in the splinters that followed. She sheathed her new dagger, wishing she still had Firebite and Frostbite. This new one – Herbbane – was barely as sharp, despite its young years.

For the last day she had been avoiding southern Undercity like the plague, sneaking around the streets, investigating the Apothecarium but avoiding a certain room, stealthing at almost all times and carrying a bag of disguises. At the moment she was safe in Brill, being just herself. The Dark Lady rarely ventured out of Undercity, and would not find her here. She had already contacted her once – with very interesting information – and Xanthium had no intention of talking to her again. Sylvanas would not find her out here.

The Dark Lady might not, but a certain tauren did.

"SQUEEEE!"

"AAARRRRRRRRGGHHHH!!" Xanthium whirled around and stabbed – then, realising who she was aiming at, quickly diverted her dagger to the left and pierced the chest cavity of a hapless vendor.

"Do you _mind_?" he huffed, pulling Herbbane out of his chest and handing it back to Xanthium. She growled at him, but his bored facial expression did not change. "I'm trying to sell things here!"

The rogue rolled her eyes and turned to her almost-victim, barking at her in Taurahe. "What the _heck_ were you thinking, sneaking up on me like that?"

Peacebloom looked at her innocently. "I wanted to see what you'd do."

"You almost got yourself _killed_!"

"But I didn't, did I?" giggled Peacebloom. Xanthium groaned.

"Where are the others?" she asked.

"Actually, I have no idea, I just followed you when you left."

"Idiot," said Xanthium. "Where's the raptor?"

"He went off on his own," said Peacebloom.

"Does he have a name yet?"

"No."

"Huh," was all Xanthium said to that, sheathing her dagger. "Are the others nearby?"

"I think I saw that troll idiot at the general supplies vendor."

"You twit," said Xanthium's victim in Peacebloom's native tongue. "_I'm_ the general supplies vendor!"

"But she was here earlier!" said Peacebloom. "And anyway, Xanthium, we have to dig up your body – oh."

"Yes," said Xanthium. "Oh. My body is _right here_."

The vendor burst out laughing, but was silenced by an icy look from Xanthium. Xanthium checked her belt to make sure Herbbane was in place when she said to Peacebloom, "Truthfully, Peacebloom, I have no idea where that amulet is."

"But you said – "

"I just told you where Lenora and Alex were going," said Xanthium. "I never said they were right. I woke up with this purple splotch, and no amulet in sight. And the one person who dug me up for real is looking for the amulet too."

"Why?" said Peacebloom.

"That's for me to know and you _not to find out_," said Xanthium. "Besides, I was buried in Deathknell, so I have no idea why Agatha sent Lenora and Alexander _here_."

"Weird," said Peacebloom.

"_Really_?" said Xanthium coldly. "Oh, there's our little troll."

The "little troll" stopped in her tracks at the sight of the pair, before making a beeline for them.

"Great," said Xanthium. "Here she comes."

Kali's face was bright. "Xanthium, mon!" she said. "I be wonderin' where you were!"

"Trolls and their appalling grammar," said Xanthium to Peacebloom, before she switched to Orcish. "I've been doing odd jobs," she lied.

"Why'd you go?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," said the undead.

"The others kept talking about you," said Kali. "I don't know what they said, though."

"Doesn't surprise me that they were," said Xanthium. Great. She _knew_ that her cousins had told Lily – but, she reminded herself, whether Lily knew or not, she certainly did _now_. "Where are they? Lily's in the Apothecarium being tortured with her mother, by the way."

"They're outside Brill – say _what_?"

Xanthium shrugged. "Come on, you two, let's go pay them a visit."

---

Some people just have that knack of disappearing without a trace when you least expect it, and reappearing just when it's convenient. Xanthium has that. At that moment, I was completely used to it.

"Hi, Xanthi."

"Hello, dear cousin," said Xanthium. Lenora smiled at the undead, whose face was thunderous. This did not surprise me. "Where's Lily?"

"She just went off," I said. "A few days ago we met this weird rogue lady and Lily went off with her."

"Well, I know where they are."

That would explain Xanthium's foul mood. "They're not wanting to dig you up too, are they?"

"I have no idea," said Xanthium. "The forsaken captured them before they could, I suppose, Deathknell's too far away."

"Captured?"

"Yes. They're in the Apothecarium, if they're both still alive. And guess who got the unpleasant task of interrogating Ismene and Lily Greenwing?"

There was an awkward silence. Then Lenora groaned. "Of all the…"

"I'm surprised I didn't brutally murder them on the spot," said Xanthium.

"Did you try?"

"Yes," Xanthium admitted. "But I lost Firebite and Frostbite in the process. Now I've got little Herbbane, which is a quite pathetic weapon in comparison."

I had no doubts as to why Xanthium had named her blade as such. "What were you doing in Undercity?"

"Needed to get away from a certain little paladin brat."

"Oh," I said.

There was a silence, in which Xanthium plopped herself down by the fire and pulled out Herbbane to sharpen. It looked like she had tried to several times already – Xanthium had always been obessed with sharpening knives and daggers that weren't Frostbite and Firebite when she was alive. I gave a sigh. Lenora stared into the fire. For relatives that had been separated for a full week, none of us said much.

Until I remembered the reason we were here.

"We need to find the amulet, Xanthi," I said.

Xanthium looked up. "You won't find it here," she said. "But why Agatha thinks it's here, only you can tell me."

"She said you were buried in Brill – "

"Alex, you were fifteen years old," said Xanthium. "You should remember! I was buried in Deathknell, not Brill! When the forsaken found me, the amulet wasn't with me. Along with that, Vira told me that she had told your mother I was to be burned. So why on earth Agatha thinks I was buried in Brill and not cremated in Deathknell is beyond me."

I frowned. "She's older than she was," I said. "Maybe her memory's not working."

"Plainly _yours_ isn't," said Xanthium. Lenora opened her mouth, but said nothing. "Think, Alex! What other reason would your mother send you here?"

"Cats?" I said.

"No cats here," said Xanthium. "If there are any, they're dead and buried."

"Squirrels?" I remembered Xanthium's obsession from years gone by.

"Tried to flee into the plaguelands," said Xanthium. Trust _her_ to know. "The thing is, Alex, for you to find that out you need to understand the amulet more. What do you know about it?"

"It turns things purple."

"Anything else?"

"It's a family heirloom."

"And?"

"Nothing else," said Lenora.

"You don't know who gave it to me?"

"No," said Lenora. Beside me, Kali watched the conversation with interest.

"Or how it came into the family?"

"No."

"Or what it _does_, beside turning things purple?"

"No."

Xanthium sighed. "I've got a lot to tell you then."

"Where are you going to start?" asked Lenora.

Xanthium thought for a moment. "What it does, firstly, perhaps, for that will make the rest easy to understand."

"What does it do?"

"Firstly, it turns things purple. But we know that already. Secondly, it corrupts the mind."

"Sorry, say that again?"

Xanthium sighed again. "Do you honestly think that as a fourteen year old, I liked killing squirrels for the hell of it for no reason?"

"I thought it was because Ismene was sadistic too," I said.

"She was the one who _gave_ me the amulet – she left me with it when I was little. I didn't realise for years I had it, but having almost-contact did enough, but I still had some of my proper mind."

"How could you not realise you had it?" asked Lenora sceptically.

"It was concealed in the hilt of Frostbite," said Xanthium.

"Oh," said Lenora.

"I pulled out the sapphire by mistake once. I had always wondered why Ismene had told me not to when I thought it was perfectly stable – but the sapphire was hiding a hole in the hilt. Once I removed it, I found the amulet inside. I kept it there, though, once I realised how it stains – the matron of the orphanage I was at during the time told me off for turning my glove purple."

"Xanthi…" an idea had just struck me. "You're going to really hate me for saying this…"

"What?"

"But maybe when Ismene…"

"_What?_"

"Maybe she got rid of you to get rid of _it_."

"Ha, even if that's true, Alex, she still treated me like crap for my entire life. Besides, what kind of woman would get rid of something using their child?"

I sighed. "I guess you have a point."

"You're one of those people," said Xanthium. "Who like to believe the best about everyone. Well, Alex, not everyone is as good as you like to make them out to be."

I just nodded, staring at the ground.

"What about its other powers?" said Lenora. "Does it have any?"

"Well, it makes the wearer extremely bloodthirsty. So usually we'd have a trail to it right now, if someone had it."

"Like a trail of dead animals?"

"Do I look purple to you?"

"Well, yes – "

"I mean entirely?"

"No."

"Good. I was exposed through the hilt only, so I was only mildly affected."

"What do you mean _mildly_?" I said.

Xanthium ignored me. "As well as that, the amulet gives whoever it is exposed to great prowess in battle."

No wonder she only got caught once.

"So we'd know if someone had it?"

"Unless they had tremendous self control," said Xanthium. "Which is why you guys should enclose it in something solid and resistant to magic, if you ever get hold of it. Like metal."

"Metal?"

"Have you ever seen a magic wielding warrior? Or mages wearing armour?"

"What about paladins?" Lenora said. "Besides, you can heal warriors with magic."

Xanthium frowned. "True, that."

"We have a dilemma," I said.

"We need to know where it is, first," said Lenora. "How did it come into the family?"

Xanthium took a deep breath. "Here's the bit you won't like. We got it from the Burning Legion."

"_What_?"

"Long before the Burning Legion took an active interest in Azeroth," said Xanthium. "There were agents and demons working undercover. Our grandfather was one of them."

"We'd never heard about him," said Lenora.

"It's no wonder why, Agatha followed him soon after," said Xanthium.

"What?"

"Has it ever occurred to either of you to ask Agatha why she cut herself from the Greenwings? Why she changed her name? Why Ismene hid the amulet in Frostbite's hilt?"

_They were specially made for my daughter…_ Xanthium shuddered.

"What happened?" asked Lenora.

"He died soon after. It drove him insane and he ended up killing himself. Agatha inherited it – or rather, Pansy, as she was called back then. She did… things. Ismene never told me – I was five at the time – but she told me that in the end, she took it off Pansy and hid it, before she put it in Frostbite years later. Then Pansy disappeared. Either she came to her senses and hid out of shame, or she went to work undercover."

"She had two children!" Lenora blurted.

Xanthium looked at her critically. "So? Ismene had me, didn't she, and look what happened there!"

"But Mother…"

I knew what she was going to say, and I cut her off with a look. _But Mother wanted us…_

"Why did she tell you to look in Brill? Why does she want it back?" said Xanthium.

"To breed – "

"The perfect disguise, a crazy cat lady! So obvious and in-your-face it's the perfect place to hide!" said Xanthium. "She wasn't like that before you moved to Kalimdor – she had cats, but she wasn't _crazy_. These days – you tell me about her, Lenny. Tell us."

"She…" said Lenora.

"Speaks Orcish," I said. "Shelters Hordelings. Manages the relationship between our village and the orcs of Durotar."

"She didn't speak Orcish when we were at Lordaeron," said Xanthium. "And it's been four years. Who learns a language fully in four years?"

"She was interested in the orcs – " I said.

"She still is. But who would teach her? More importantly, what is she doing in Durotar?"

This was too much to take in. Beside Kali, Ash shuffled uncomfortably. Xanthium noticed this.

"See? She even gave Kali one of her damned cats," said Xanthium. "A nightsaber stalker, even. How do we know Kali's even on _our_ side?"

"She – "

"Can't speak to you," said Xanthium. Kali gave a yawn, and so did the cat. "She doesn't even understand what you say. She knows what you're after – Agatha told her after all. She's a failed hunter, yet she has remarkable skill with daggers. You even told me she saved you and Lenora – two people, with a lot of training, couldn't take down a centaur but the troll could single-handedly with only a few hits. Isn't that a little unrealistic? Isn't it a little unrealistic that she didn't kill _you_ two? Rather, following you home like an innocent little thing? Following you on this quest as if she didn't have a family at Sen'jin village or Orgrimmar? When there appears to be nothing in it for her? And that cat, too. You lived with your mother – since when has she bred nightsaber stalkers? I saw Ash when he was barely an awkward, teenaged kitten. He has grown _far_ too quickly to be natural."

Suddenly I was uncomfortably aware of Kali leaning against me, suddenly uncomfortably aware of all the times I had chatted to her, suddenly uncomfortably aware of the way Ash's eyes were darting everywhere in exposed nervousness. Of the times Ash had disappeared, only to reappear with barely a speck on his fur.

"The raptor!" I said.

"Hmm, I don't think Peacebloom's guilty of anything," frowned Xanthium. "She's just stupid."

"But the raptor… where did Peacebloom go?"

"She said she followed me," said Xanthium.

"The raptor? Where's the raptor?"

"He…" Xanthium paused. "Went off on his own…"

We all exchanged glances.

"He was bloody smart, for a raptor," said Lenora. "But I can't believe Mother is as evil as you say she is – "

"Maybe she isn't," said Xanthium. "She could have other motives. But I'm still wondering – why did she say Brill? She thought I had been cremated – and the amulet with me, I was wearing it when I died."

"Why?" asked Lenora.

"Don't you remember that barn dance?" said Xanthium. "I thought wearing it for a night couldn't hurt. I didn't think I'd _die_ in it."

There was a pause.

"Get Ash over here," said Xanthium. Lenora reached over and pushed the nightsaber gently, who hesitated. Kali sat bolt upright. I looked away from her miserably. I hoped that what Xanthium had guessed about her wasn't true…

"Maybe…" Lenora bit her lip. "Maybe something _else_ is waiting for us in Brill…"

The thought was haunting. Xanthium sat Ash in front of her and stared into his eyes.

"Hmm," she said, releasing the cat. "That's strange."

"What is?" said Lenora.

"He looked straight back. That was a direct challenge I gave him – he should have either looked away or growled at me. He didn't do either."

I blinked.

"And as for what you said Lenora," mused Xanthium. "Perhaps you're right… I wonder, what would happen if you two humans walked into the graveyard right now?"

Lenora and I exchanged looks. This didn't sound good.

Suddenly Xanthium cursed, scrambling to her feet and slipping into stealth.

"What - ?" I said.

"Shh!" said Lenora.

Then I heard it. A crack of twigs. A low, groaning voice talking in a quiet tone to another. Female.

"Dammit!" said Lenora. "This is _her_ native land, she should at least bail us out – "

Then, as the intruders came into the clearing, I burst out, "Lily!"

The paladin, beside her companion, looked in a horrible state. She had bruises all over her body, and a closed, black eye. "Hello Alex," she said weakly.

"This is Alex?" said her companion – who looked even worse. Cut were scattered on her body, and she looked pale with sickness. Groaning, she sank to the grass. "Forgive our previous short meeting… and the state I'm in…"

It was the Weird Rogue Lady Lily had disappeared with earlier. Or, as Xanthium had told us, Ismene.

Lenora swallowed. "What happened?"

"The forsaken happened," Lily clenched her fist. "Did this. To us. Luckily, we snuck out to avoid the worst."

"Oh no!" Lenora suddenly burst out – but if we thought it was out of concern for our long lost relatives, we were mistaken. "Where's she gone now?"

Oh no.

This was _bad_.

"Who?" said Lily.

"Xanthium!" Kali stood up and yelled, before shouting something in Orcish.

"I'm right here," said a gruff voice.

Déjà vu struck, as Lenora and I swivelled our glances towards Ismene –

Who had a dagger pressed to her throat, and a murderous looking forsaken behind her.

This was definitely _bad_.


	13. An Eye for an Eye and the World's Blind

If we ever thought Xanthium would be civil about this, all those thoughts went out the window as we saw the unnvervingly calm way she almost casually held the dagger to Ismene's soft neck. Ismene went shock still – almost like a roguish reflex. Lily's eyes widened and her mouth hung open slightly.

Kali merely raised an eyebrow, Peacebloom giggled, Ash huffed and Lenora sighed.

"Here we go again," I muttered to her. "Don't even bother, she's dead meat."

But Lenora ignored me. "Xanthium," she said, putting both hands on her hips and cocking her head. "Are you going to be mature about this?"

"Nope!" sang the forsaken, grinning at us. She had Ismene exactly where she wanted. "Screw maturity."

"Why is she still alive? You haven't got anything to gain through simply threatening her."

Ismene's expression was surprisingly calm. She closed her eyes, her face muscles relaxed. Like mother, like daughter. I thought they were both mad.

"Actually, I'm just wondering whether to kill her slowly or kill her quickly. What do you think?"

"Depends," said Lenora. "How much do you want her to suffer?"

"No, it's how much do _I_ want to suffer?" said Xanthium. "Plus, I need my daggers back. Herbbane is _crap_."

"Lily," said Ismene. "Get the pack…"

"You can't be giving them back, surely?" said Lily, her voice shaking.

"Just do it."

"Better listen to your mother," I had never seen Xanthium look so gleeful. "Or she might kill you. If I didn't get to you first. Shall I bury you alive in snow? That would be fun – we could go up to Alterac especially. Then you'd know how I felt."

With a nervous huff, Lily did as her mother said, and held out the two daggers. Xanthium took them one at a time with her left hand, returning them to their usual sheathes at their belt without moving her right hand from Herbbane.

"There," she said. "That's better. This piece of crap is only good for cutting paper." Swiftly she moved her left hand – holding Frostbite – to her mother's throat instead, dropping Herbbane on the grass. "Never thought these'd be used against you, huh? What do you think I should do with her, Lenora?"

Lenora thought for a moment.

What?

"You could put her into the path of a pissed off abomination," she suggested. "Those hooks look _nasty_. If they didn't bleed to death, they might get some kind of icky infection."

"Huh, sounds like a fun and gruesome thing to watch!" giggled our cousin. "Except she'd be decimated in moments."

"You could let her loose in the disease room in the Apothecarium. I presume there _is_ one?"

"Actually, there is," said Xanthium. "I can see it now – blinding herself with exposure to a certain potion then knocking all the filled vials off the shelf."

I felt sick. Ismene opened her eyes, but this time looked at the ground in resignation.

"You seem awfully happy about this," said Xanthium. Her movement and laughing had caused Frostbite to cut slightly into Ismene's neck. "Do you enjoy this kind of thing?"

"Not really," said Ismene flatly.

"Well," said Xanthium. "I've got an idea now, of how you should pay."

"Xanthium…" said Ismene. Lily leered at her older sister.

"Oh, shut up, the pity party won't work on me so don't even _try_ it," said Xanthium. "But I'll get it over with."

She shoved Ismene towards us and turned to run, but not until after Frostbite had whipped around and dipped into her mother's back.

---

Once Xanthium was far, far away she plopped herself onto the grass and pulled out Firebite. She only bothered to clean the blade so it wouldn't be damaged, but wiped it on her pant leg with a smirk.

Then she set to work. Using Frostbite as a lever, she set it to the ruby in the hilt and pushed it down. After thirty minutes of working around it – after two she would often give up – the jewel finally plopped out, revealing a small chamber.

"Huh," said Xanthium. "Just as I thought."

A tiny, golden chain spilled out, a purple, tear-dropped shaped gem hanging from it. Xanthium pulled on some leather gloves and picked it up. When it caught the light, a flaw in the middle was revealed – the shape of a cat's head. It was a miracle the chain itself wasn't purple. Maybe pure gold was the answer? Xanthium frowned. Who knew?

But here it was. Xanthium knew it had to be in the Apothecarium, and no doubt so had her family – taking advantage of Xanthium leaving her daggers there and their position. The Apothecarium was full of torture, misery and murder. It was the perfect place, she realised. The perfect place.

And it had been under the nose of the Dark Lady the entire time. The forsaken smirked. If she ever found out, she would be furious.

---

"She's not coming back."

When Lenora said it, I immediately knew it was true. Xanthium wouldn't return now. She _definitely_ wouldn't return now. Lenora's face was grave as Ismene, who lay unconscious on a towel, muttered in her sleep. Lily's own expression imitated Lenora's, gently running her hand along the bandage, holy light glowing between her fingers.

"Will she be alright?" she said so quietly we almost didn't hear her. "I could _kill_ Xanthium for that."

"I hope so," said Lenora. "We acted quickly, so she shouldn't lose much blood… Oh Xanthium…"

"I hate her," said Lily, a bitter tone lacing her voice as tears glinted in her eyes. "I really, really hate her. Mother doesn't deserve this."

"If you asked Xanthium," I said. "She wouldn't have even paid a fraction of what she owes Xanthi."

"I hate her. I really, really hate her."

Lenora and I said nothing. Despite her rather large murderous streak, we loved Xanthium to pieces. We had grown numb to the suffering she inflicted on others, preferring to ignore it. Even Lenora, who had helped Lily with taking care of Ismene, had seemed to dissociate herself from the event, her eyes dull and almost lifeless. It was if she stared through me when we had a scrap of eye contact. Kali shuddered whenever Lenora looked at her. Peacebloom had grown bored and wandered off again, and Ash had trotted off in the direction of Undercity. No doubt the presence of an unattended nightsaber stalker would cause some problems.

"We need to go to Brill," when Lenora looked at me, it was as if I was staring at a ghost. "Mother told us to go to Brill for a reason – which may be good or bad, but we have to go there."

I nodded mutely.

"Where are you going?" Lily looked up, eyes wide and muscles tense.

"She'll be alright," said Lenora softly, looking at our aunt. "Just keep at it with the holy light healing… stuff. Alright?"

Lily said nothing, but dropped her eyes, and Lenora led me away.

Getting into the Brill graveyard was easy. The fence had been trampled around its perimeter, and while it didn't faze Lenora, I shuddered at the sight of it.

"What?" she said.

"Something extremely strong," I said. "Had barged its way _out_ of that place."

Suddenly, the cold night air chilled us. Even the spark of Lenora's eyes returned, if barely, when she stared at the fence in horror.

"You don't suppose it returned, do you?"

I shook my head. "I'm guessing it was back in the time of the plague," I said.

"Either there was a lot of them… or they had more power than their rotting appearance gives them credit for."

The thought scared me – the thought of Deathknell, our old village, before it was renamed. I could see it the night we left; ghouls prowling around the forest, friends and family with empty eye sockets and grey, peeling skin throwing themselves against barricaded doors and windows, only for the people inside to turn into those very undead less than an hour later. We had escaped back in time that day. A woman who looked literally dead on her feet had saved us. Later I realised she must have been one of the early forsaken. I could never forget the sight of our village as Mother hurried us away, trying to keep herself and us from crying.

We stepped into the graveyard wordlessly, and immediately Lenora threw herself on the ground behind the tombstones. I followed her example.

"Keep to the markers," she said.

"I'm not crawling over graves! Especially _these_ ones!"

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," said Lenora robotically, reminding me of the mechanical creatures from Ratchet that the goblins had made.

"Not if we have anything to do it," said a familiar, accented voice right above me.

I looked up. There stood two people I knew from the Highlands – the troll who looked identical to Kali save for gender and clothes, and the forsaken who I now recognised as the undead who had saved us from the same fate as the forsaken.

Lenora stared at them for a minute as they smirked back at us.

"Drat," she said, and they burst into cruel laughter.

---

We spent what must have been a week in the dungeons of Undercity. We were often alone with each other in the darkness, and Lenora had her arms wrapped around me the whole time, shaking with the cold that made my fingers hurt to move. I could _hear_ my bones creaking whenever I stirred. Lenora spent her time curled up into a ball beside me, sometimes sobbing, sometimes quiet. We were fed often, but despite the temporary security from the outside – I had faith that if Xanthium heard of where we were, she would keep us safe – we were unable to sleep. It was the first time in ages we didn't need to fear wild animals or bandits, and I felt rather relaxed, naively in Lenora's opinion, but she was as panicky as a caught, yet wild, bird.

No one talked to us. No one came to visit except for the forsaken who fed us. On the third day, the person responsible for us was a skeleton with only scraps of flesh and clothing clinging to his bones. Lenora couldn't bear to look. My sister had returned only to find horror greeting her. She was no longer cut off mentally from her environment, but I was afraid she would return to that state.

On the fourth day, she said, "Why hasn't Xanthium come for us?"

I felt uneasy. I had hoped Xanthium would find out about us and come to our rescue, but with every passing hour it seemed more and more unlikely, until a guard came on the seventh day to take us out of our cells.

Then, it seemed impossible.

---

The room was cold and almost silent, except for the sound of Alex' and Lenora's stumbling footsteps as the guards nearly dragged them across the stone floor, and the echo of murmurs coming from the room they were headed.

In Sylvanas's chamber, Alex's eyes surveyed the scene, counting everyone. There was Ismene in the corner, standing shock still, her face shadowed and her daughter Lily standing beside her. Next to them, two forsaken muttered to each other. Another forsaken stood stiffly beside them, plainly at unease, beside a troll – both Alex recognised as the forsaken and troll that had approached Kali and him in the highlands. Speaking of Kali, the male troll was holding her very tightly, and she looked incredibly worried. Peacebloom, Ash and the raptor were nowhere to be seen, but there were three new Alliance people in the room, two of which Alex had never seen before. One of them turned around from talking to the banshee queen, and exclaimed loudly upon seeing Alex and Lenora towed into the room.

"Alex! Lenora!" the woman made to rush to their side, but was frozen in place by a dirty look from the banshee. "Are you two alright?"

Alex smiled weakly. "Hello Mother."

"Nope!" sang Lenora. "Not really, could be better."

Agatha returned Alex's smile with the same enthusiasm. "Ismene and I have already talked," she said. "I never knew I had another niece."

"Um," Lenora exchanged glances with Alex as she spoke up. "About your _other_ one."

"Don't worry!" called out a voice which seemed to be coming from behind Sylvanas, who frowned in irritation. "I'm under strict orders not to kill anyone. Temporarily, at least. Damn shame I missed the spinal chord, eh?"

Agatha gave a jump. "Bloody hell!" she exclaimed. "That sounded like – "

"Yeah, I'm still alive Auntie," said the voice again. Xanthium seemed to be in stealth. "Well, not really _alive_, but not dead either. Good to see you're well."

"I'd say the same, if I _could _see you," Agatha grinned. "How's undeath treating you?"

"Eh, not much different, except I get paid to do my usual hobbies on living humanoids instead of squirrels. Good pay. Best assassin in Undercity."

Agatha smiled. "And is there any particular reason why the best assassin of Undercity's in our presence?"

"Personal gain, woo," said Xanthium. Alex couldn't help but smile. At the sight of this, Kali also brightened and relaxed slightly.

"I hope you're not trying to get a shot at anyone in this room?"

"Whatever makes you think that, Auntie?" said Xanthium innocently. "Best assassin or not, _no one_ can murder anyone under the Dark Lady's nose."

"Can you please stop this idle chatter?" the Dark Lady snapped. "I believe we have a ransom to be paid."

Agatha gave a sigh. Lenora's head jerked up.

"For me and Alex?" she said. "What about – " she cast a glance at the night elves. Sylvanas raised her eyebrows.

"You didn't know the druids were travelling with you, did you?" she said.

Alex blinked. _Druids?_

_Uh oh._

Lenora frowned. "The raptor and Ash!" she exclaimed.

"Got it in one," said Sylvanas sweetly. "Well, apparently every single person in this room is looking for the same thing."

Silence.

"The amulet," Agatha murmured. "It's in – "

"Brill," said Lenora. "Mother, why did you tell us Xanthium was buried there when it was Deathknell?"

Agatha said nothing.

"You don't think our own mother would set us up, do you?" said Alex in a low voice to Lenora, who made no indication she had heard.

"And why did you make Kali come with us?" said Lenora.

"Nothing better to do, she said," Agatha answered.

The Dark Lady huffed, displeased with the interruption. "Like I said," she said. "We are all looking for the same thing, and, as far as we know, one of us in this room has it."

More silence. Pleased, Sylvanas continued. "I only just tracked the thing down to my Apothecarium – where it went missing, along with two famous daggers. I believe the two humans – " she pointed at Ismene and Lily " – had it last."

"We don't have them," said Lily. "We – "

She was silenced by a glare from Ismene.

"Whoever I have to get it from, I will pry it from their corpse," said Sylvanas. Her voice rose to a harsh cry. "Do you understand this? Whoever has it now I will _kill_. Whoever it is now, speak up and I will make your death quick and merciful."

There was not a sound.

"You've had your chance," growled Sylvanas. "You, girl – " she looked at Lily. "What did you do with it?"

"We gave it to – " Lily started.

Ismene cut her off. "She gave it to me," she said.

All was quiet as they waited for her to continue.

"And?" said Sylvanas finally.

Alex and Lenora held their breaths. Any minute now Xanthium would have to run for her life… or not. Alex felt a cold piece of steel on his shoulder. Great, Xanthium was going to manipulate her way out _again_.

"Speak, rogue," said the Dark Lady.

Ismene looked up steadily into Sylvanas' eyes. She continued with a steady, flowing voice. "I gave it to one of my messengers," she said. "As of now, it's probably reached Stormwind. Who knows? It's probably in Fordragon's hands already."

Sylvanas snarled and, in one quick motion, had grabbed her strung bow from where it was slung across her shoulder and shot Ismene in the chest. For what seemed like an entire minute Ismene's hand slowly moved to the wound, the arrow buried deeply right in the center of her chest. Blood began to bead around it, and Ismene's wide eyes half closed, as she fell to her knees, then screwed shut as she fell to her side on the cold, stone floor.

For a second the room was in stunned silence. Then it roared to life as Agatha tried to run to her sister's side, but guards forced her back. Lily stood over her mother, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Lenora choked. Kali gave a screech and her brother Tanis quickly forced her into a hug, cradling her crying head against his shoulder. The night elves were as silent as Dom and Keever. Alex tried to control his breathing, his eyes unable to move away from the distressed hunter's heaving shoulders. Lily carefully knelt by her mother, rolling her on to her back.

"She's alive," she finally said, relief all too evident in her voice. "She's… alive…"

Then, "Xanthium, I am going to murder you _if it's the last bloody thing I do_."

"I'd like you to try," Xanthium picked up Frostbite, now visible to the naked eye. Her dress fluttered slightly about her ankles, and Xanthium looked like a perfectly normal undead civilian, and not the assassin she was. She turned to stare at Lily. "But give me a minute to finish her off for Sylvanas – she almost did the job _I've_ been wanting to do for decades."

"She just _saved your life_!"

"I'm _dead_, idiot!" said Xanthium. "Or haven't you noticed the whole walking-corpse thing?"

"You ungrateful little twit," Lily drew her sword.

"Idiot paladin," spat Xanthium. "Think you can cleanse all the undead from the lands? You're no match for the forsaken _or_ the scourge. Besides, saving my rotting body once doesn't make up for what she did years ago – leaving me in the cold Brill winter, leaving me to fend for myself in orphanages. She wasn't there when I cried, was she? She was never there when I was ferried from orphanage to orphanage, was she? She was never there when Agatha finally was," Xanthium nodded to her aunt and gave her a tiny, rare, but grateful smile. "And Ismene still isn't. All she's got now is a guilty conscience. She couldn't care less. If she ever thought she could convince me by _this_ sole action, I – "

"Then… what… will?" Xanthium looked down in surprise at hearing her mother speak, blood spraying out with spittle at every laboured word. She was clinging onto life – but only barely. Xanthium pretended to consider for a moment, stepping closer and closer to her. Lily tensed.

"This will," said Xanthium, and she stabbed Lily with Frostbite.

---

So used to this, all I could say was, "She's really blown it this time."

Lenora screamed, clutching at my arm, but I only watched with shaded eyes. Xanthium would never change. She would never forgive her mother. She would never forgive her sister for having the life that she herself had always longed for but never had. Mother's own expression mirrored mine, her eyes watering as she watched. Sylvanas, however, laughed.

"I think I might forgive you for your little betrayal for that show," she said.

"Not finished," said Xanthium through gritted teeth, drawing Firebite and this time plunging the blade into Lily's heart. Lily was dead before she hit the floor. Xanthium pulled out her blades and rolled Ismene on to her side. "Like the sight of a dead child?" she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Don't worry, I won't let you suffer long – "

"Xanthium!"

Xanthium gave an annoyed sigh, Frostbite an inch from Ismene's heart. "Dangit, Agatha, I've been waiting for this for years, you could at least let me have a good time."

"I won't allow you to do it," Mother's fist was clenched, and tears were streaming down her cheeks like a river. I had never seen her like this in my entire life, not since we thought Xanthium was dead. "You've already taken Lily. Be satisfied with that, if at all."

"But Lily was only the taster!"

"Xanthium!" said Mother.

"Agatha," Xanthium stood up, wiping her daggers on her clothes. "She – "

"I know," said Mother softly. "Listen to me, Xanthium Timewind. As the one who raised you since you were a teenager, as the one who fed you and cried with you and comforted you, as the one you loved as much as a real mother and who loved you as much as a real daughter, spare her. Please Xanthium."

Xanthium said nothing, standing still staring into Mother's face. Both were expressionless and silent.

"Love you too, Mamma," she said with the faintest of smiles to Mother, finally sheathing her daggers and fading out of sight.

Mother closed her eyes and inhaled deeply – only now did I realise we had all been holding our breaths. "Thank you, Xanthium," she said, reopening her eyes and running to her sister. "Shhh, Ismene, don't… she's unconscious."

"She's lost a lot of blood," Vira left her post to bend over the human. "But with the right healers, she'll be right."

"Even though she got shot in the – ?"

"_I'll_ decide whether she lives or not, thank you very much," said Sylvanas.

"Please, Lady – "

"Take her to the Apothecarium, then, to be healed, if you all so insist," the Dark Lady waved a hand with annoyance. "But Timewind, you stay here. Keever, dispose the body of the dead one. Xanthium Timewind, if you're still in here, I want to see you right here in an hour. If she's not, Dom, you track her down and tell her. Vira, you take the injured one."

The forsaken were quick to follow her commands. Vira, with her old and rotting bones, picked up Ismene with surprisingly no ease and rushed out of the room as fast as she could manage. Dom gave a bow and slunk away, and Agatha looked away with tears in her eyes as Keever picked up Lily and left. She had no doubts where her niece was going.

"Xanthium," she said. "You've really, really exceeded your limit this time… if Ismene survives, she'll be furious…"

As she expected, the empty air did not answer. Mother looked up into the eyes of Sylvanas.

"What do you want?"

"The ransom, I said," said Sylvanas, her lips curling into a smirk.

"I've already paid it," said Agatha flatly.

"Then you may find that you and your family can leave," said Sylvanas. "Good luck getting out without arousing suspicion."

Mother's eyes flashed, but she said no more.

---

I was upset to leave Kali and the night elves down there, but we had far more pressing matters on our hands – such as how to get away from that rather big and sickly looking abomination whose hook thingie had already almost cleaved Lenora's head cleanly (or not so cleanly) off. We escaped through the sewers, at times having to swim under the surface of the green slime.

"I don't even _want_ to know what's in it," Mother had said flatly.

"It's called sewage for a reason," said Lenora.

"Thanks, Len."

When we finally emerged, we ignored the freezing cold night and made a beeling for the beach, dunking ourselves in fully dressed. It wasn't until we came out that we realised we had no towels or warm clothes.

Hell, we had no _supplies_.

"Shit," said Mum. "I left my bag in the Undercity."

We all groaned as one. The wind picked up into a fair breeze, and something hit me in the cheek. I rubbed with frustration. Must have been some bark or something.

"Holy crap," Mum swore for the second time in a minute. "_There_ it is!"

The pack was lying against the base of a tree. Mum dug out three towels and passed them around. "Thought I'd bring two more since you two ran into trouble."

"Thanks," teeth chattering, Lenora wrapped the towel tightly around herself. "Wonder how it got up here."

Mum responded by looking upwards. "Thanks Xanthi," she said.

"Eh?" We followed her gaze. We could see absolutely nothing.

I felt something hit my cheek again and looked down. A bloody acorn. I squinted at the branches again. This time I saw an acorn appear out of nowhere – held by someone in stealth, perhaps? – and head directly towards my forehead. When I tried to move I got it in the eye. "Ouch."

The tree snickered in response, and Mother broke into a grin. She'd always adored Xanthium.

"Shouldn't she be with Sylvanas right about now?" said Lenora.

"Guess she didn't find out," I said to her in a low response, watching the forsaken crawl down the tree trunk like an expert, newly clothed in leather armour.

---

Ismene gave a groan as she felt herself get poked with something cold.

"Yep," said a voice. "She's ali – well, functioning anyway."

She opened her eyes to see a reddish forsaken above her holding a metal rod. He prodded her in the forehead.

"Quit it," she said.

He poked her.

"Quit it."

Again.

"I said quit it!"

The forsaken sniggered. "Keever brought you back," he said slyly. "You haven't rotted, so Keever thinks you should consider yourself lucky you aren't as ugly as Keever and the others."

There was a huff coming from the back of the room. "Thanks," a voice said bluntly. It was strange. It sounded like two people (with very creepy voices, in Ismene's opinion) were talking at the same time.

"Not as pretty as Sylvanas," said the red _thing_ quickly.

"Who's Keever?" said Ismene.

"Keever is."

"Who's Keever?"

"Keever."

"Answer me dammit!"

Keever struggled to find a way to tell her without referring to himself in the first person. "Why," he finally said. "The forsaken poking you is Keever."

He poked her.

"Oh, you're one of those freaky author people, aren't you?"

There was a snort from the back of the room, and the voice said, "No, he just has a unique approach to everything, Including keeping you from dying – a miracle, though I don't think you'd survive if we were to pull the arrow out – and resurrecting your daughter."

"Where is she?" said Ismene harshly.

Sylvanas came into the dim light, looking down at Ismene, who felt her back pressing against something flat. She was lying on a table, then. Ismene met the Dark Lady's eye with little difficulty.

Then Sylvanas raised both eyebrows and said, "Which one?"

"The dead one, fool!"

Ismene gave a scream as Keever jabbed her in the eye. "Don't call the Dark Lady a fool, or Keever will be pissed," he warned.

Sylvanas' expression hadn't changed. "_Which_ dead one? The one you almost killed, or the one that your daughter got rid of for you?"

Xanthium. Ismene bit her lip, feeling tears rising. "Lily," she finally choked. "Where's Lily?"

"Currently we're using her arm for an abomination, her leg is on some dog-like thing or other, and the rest of her got burned."

Ismene felt sick. Dimly, she was aware of numb rage. She had not felt _true_ rage for a long time – as a rogue, it was dangerous for her – but now she could feel it on the edge of her conciousness. Her training didn't allow her to feel it, but it was there… it was there.

Xanthium. Daughter or not, abandoned or not, sorry or not – she would _pay_. Ismene would see to it personally. An eye for an eye. Xanthium had no daughter Ismene knew of – hell, Ismene didn't even know if she had _children_ – but Ismene had an idea…

She suppressed a grin as she started to talk to Sylvanas.

---

During the night, a scream shattered my sleep and I bolted into an upright position in my wormy sleeping bag. "THE HELL, LENORA?" I said.

She swore loudly. "Dammit, Kali!" I heard her muffled voice. "You gave me a _hell_ of a fright. Alex is in the next tent. Alex, tent."

The next thing I knew there was something blue clinging to me.

"Hi Kali," I said numbly.

I heard Xanthium growling from her side of the tent. "What's that bloody troll up to _now_?"

"I think she followed you out," I said.

"Nah, it's too late for that."

I tried to pry Kali off my arm and failed. "She's got a damn tight grip."

"Tell me about it," my mother poked her head into the tent. "Lenora woke up with the troll wrapped around her _face_."

The thought made me snigger, but Kali whimpered. Awkwardly I put an arm around her.

"What's got her frightened?" I asked.

It didn't take long for a grumpy Xanthium to find the answer. "Apparently some stupid Apothecary – Keever or something – turned loose a serial killer in Undercity, so she freaked out and came up here. The Dark Lady will be wanting me to deal with the stupid thing, I think."

"Unless it's bait to get you back down there," said Mother. "I know you love a challenge like this."

"Dammit, I want to get rid of the idiot," Xanthium grinned. "Probably sicced one of the rogues down there. They're best at the whole murdering thing."

"And don't I know it," I muttered under my breath. Lenora snickered. Xanthium raised her eyebrows.

"I'll go down," she said. "I feel like killing something."

"Be careful," I warned. Kali gave a squeak and I looked at her nervously.

"Willdo," said Xanthium with a waved dismissal.

---

It didn't take long for Xanthium to find her. Or rather, for her to find Xanthium. When the hair on the back of her neck rose, Xanthium immediately obeyed her intuition and jumped away and whirled around – only to find a certain family member holding a dagger in the air where her back had just been. A very _angry_ family member.

"Hello, Ismene," Xanthium's feigned jolliness covered up the fury that was starting to build up. She slowly moved her hands to her waist, drawing Firebite and Frostbite. "I thought it was you."

Ismene glowered at the girl. "I will _get you_ for killing her."

Much to Xanthium's numb surprise, civilians and even guards passed by without more than a glance at them – even though Ismene was human! Xanthium had a bad feeling about this. They would only be so calm if they had been warned… If this had been planned….

_Shit._

Five seconds and one pinch of flash powder later, Xanthium was clinging to the top of a column, invisible. _Drat_. She surveyed the scene carefully, keeping half an eye on Ismene who was searching the underground street with equal intent. Where was the trap? Xanthium wondered. Sylvanas wanted her. She was here in Undercity like she wanted. But Ismene alone could not take Xanthium down… Xanthium had little doubt it would take long to eliminate the human by herself. But the behaviour of her fellow undead was all too unsettling. As she watched, a forsaken guard stopped by Ismene and started examining the street as well.

Yep. Sylvanas certainly wanted her.

Drat. If there was a day Xanthium was to finally get Ismene, it was not today. At least, not this moment. She needed to get out. And quickly.

She felt that niggling feeling of déjà vu as a few robed, hunched figures entered the room. Mages.

Oh. Xanthium spent an entire minute singing a foul word under her breath that was definitely not _drat!_ She resisted growling under her breath, resisted running down there, resisted killing them all. _Idiots_. With any luck, she would be safe where she was latched on to.

But luck had run out for Xanthium as the ice shards became falling. Once again, she was struck. Once again, she was revealed. Once again, she fell.

Once again, she was too close to death – the real thing – for her liking.

Drat.

---

"Mother," said Lenora. "Are you going to tell us why you suggested Brill?"

Mother gave a sigh. She wasn't telling. Kali – one clawed hand still on my arm, much to my discomfort – watched curiously.

"Xanthi?" she said to me.

"No idea where she is," I said. Kali whispered something to Agatha, who just shrugged.

"Alright," Mother finally said. "I told you to go to Brill because that's what the Dark Lady told me to. By then, she hoped you would have found the amulet somewhere."

After Xanthium's suspicions, I was not surprised, but Lenora clenched her fists. "You've been working for the forsaken all along?"

Agatha sighed again. "Lenora, she wants to make peace between the humans of Stormwind and the forsaken of Undercity."

"Er," I said. "So she's using a weapon to do it?"

"Sadly, the only negotiation Sylvanas has ever been good at is blackmail. 'Listen to me or I destroy your pretty little city' kind of negotiation."

"I've never heard of her doing that before."

"You don't want to know," said Mother, ferreting through her pack to avoid Lenora's glare. "Think about it, though – if there was an alliance between Stormwind and Undercity, the horde might – "

"The horde don't trust Sylvanas," Lenora pointed out. "Xanthium told me. It's purely an alliance of convenience."

"Lenora, you forget one thing, I'm a quite important person in Durotar. It's probably making a significant impact that I'm out here instead of negotiating with the orcs so they don't raze our village to the ground."

"Thanks," I said sarcastically.

Mother sighed for a third time. "Alex, I don't mean that. I love you two very much – you're both my children, I can't leave you out here. I'd pay for your freedom with my life if I had to."

"She says that _after_ she sends us up here to get caught," Lenora scoffed. Mother said nothing.

"Where will we go now?" I said, sick of the argument.

"The amulet…" said Mother.

"Any idea where it is?" I asked. I searched my memory. Ismene had had it last but sent it to – no, that wasn't right. Suddenly I remembered Lily shrieking at Xanthium – _she just saved your life!_ – and her disbelief over Ismene's revelation. "Xanthium has it," I said.

"I thought so too," said Mother.

"Er," said Lenora. "What are we going to do once we have it?"

"I'd throw it into the sea or something, except the nagas would get hold of it," said Mother. "We don't want Illidan Stormrage taking over the world any time soon."

"Then what – "

Suddenly Mother started giggling. "We could throw it into the fires of Mt Hyjal!"

Lenora and I looked at her incredulously. "What?"

"Fires?" said Lenora. "_What_ fires?"

"Simple. We go on a quest – four of us. No, wait, four gnomes. One is the Amulet Bearer. They travel with two humans, a night elf and a dwarf. Oh, and another night elf. An old guy mage, preferably, except night elves can't be mages. We'll have to settle with a human for that. Anyway, on the way, this murloc named Gollum who wants the amulet for himself stalks them and – "

"Mother," I said. "What on earth are you _smoking_? Is this like your 'Cousin Itt' moments?"

"Sorry," said Mother. "Come on, we'll make camp for the night and hope that Xanthium turns up safe and sound. I'll go get some firewood."

---

A/N: When Xanthium sings the rude word over and over, I had Darth Vader's theme in mind when I wrote it. Buahaha.

And sorry this took a while longer than intended. I've kind of written myself into a corner. Not only did I not plan on having those night elves show up, I also did not intend for Lily to exist or for Ismene to either a few chapters ago, so I have to rethink things. Whee. Fun.

Thanks for your reviews! They mean a lot to me!


	14. How Not To Kill A Forsaken

She groaned, opening her eyes to see a face hovering mere inches from her nose.

"Hello Lady Sylanas," said Xanthium.

The Dark Lady waved something in front of her face and Xanthium groaned again, straining to move, only to realise that her wrists and ankles were shackled in place.

"Well," she said, finally. "You've got the damned amulet and now you're holding the best assassin of Undercity captive. Are you happy?"

The Dark Lady smirked. "Actually, someone's wanting to kill you, so I just kept you there so they could have their way."

Xanthium did a quick calculation in her head. "Is it the bread vendor I pissed off last week?" she asked.

"No."

"The general supplies vendor from Brill?"

"No."

"Does it turn into a raptor?"

"No."

"Is it my mother? My biological one, I mean?"

"_Now_ you've got it," said a new voice, and over Sylvanas's shoulder Xanthium could see Ismene. "Move out of the way, banshee person."

"Don't tell me what to do," the banshee queen snarled, but obliged her.

"You're listening to _humans_ now?" said Xanthium.

"Actually," said Sylvanas. "This is just your punishment for hiding _this_," she held up the amulet. "From me. Now, Ismene, go have your fun."

Sylvanas turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. Ismene grinned, drawing a dagger, which Xanthium recognised as Frostbite, and approached Xanthium.

"Mind giving me my daggers back?" she said.

"I certainly _do_," an ugly scowl replaced the smirk on Ismene's face.

"You made them specially for me, I heard?" said Xanthium. "Do you _like_ the idea of evil seven year olds running amok?"

"Not really, they're quite easy to deal with," said Ismene, but something flashed in her eyes.

"Are you about to tell me your evil plan now that I'm about to die?"

"So you acknowledge it, then," said Ismene.

"Yeah, I'm used to so-called mothers trying to kill me. It's kind of a drag now, to be honest."

Ismene leered at her. "This wouldn't be happening if you didn't kill Lilly, you stupid child."

"I'm _older_ than her and I don't hear _her_ getting called a stupid child," said Xanthium. "Actually, as far as I can recall, she got the childhood I had always wanted and was _allowed_ to call her mother by what she really was."

"That's enough from you," Ismene pointed Frostbite at Xanthium, who rolled her eyes.

"Can we get this over with?" she said.

"Certainly," and Ismene drew back her hand and plunged it into Xanthium's stomach.

Xanthium stiffened, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. Ismene gave a cruel grin and twisted Frostebite to the side. Xanthium cringed, screwing up her face.

"You do this on a daily basis," said Ismene. "Enjoy it?"

Much to her surprise, Xanthium grimaced and nodded.

"Stupid kid," said Ismene, twisting Frostbite again. She heard the tear of fabric as black blood sluggishly drifted out of the gaping wound. "You'll never forsake your pride, will you?"

Xanthium took a deep, painful breath. "Not ever for you, Ismene."

"I gave Lily that childhood because she wasn't an ungrateful bitch," said Ismene. "I loved her far more than I would ever love you."

"A few days ago," Xanthium tried to block out the pain, but for some reason today this talent avoided her. "You wouldn't have said that."

"A few days ago," said Ismene. "I was a stupid, blind idiot who actually thought to give you a second chance."

"It wasn't my fault," said Xanthium.

Then Ismene pulled out the dagger, and Xanthium's eyes unfocused. They closed, her body limp.

"There," Ismene wiped Frostbite on her pants and threw it at the feet of the corpse, before drawing Firebite and discarding it the same way. "You can have them."

Then she turned and left.

---

A forsaken brushed past the human as she entered the room, but neither acknowledged the presence of the other. The human disappeared around the corner, out of sight, and Vira unlocked the shackles.

"You can stop playing dead now," she said.

Xanthium opened her eyes. "She's an idiot," she said through gritted teeth as Vira lowered her to the floor. "You can only kill an undead with holy light or when the heart's damaged. The idiot stabbed me in the _pelvis_. She's a _paladin_, she should know better. And if I wasn't infertile already – "

"Shut up so I can heal you," grinned Vira, cutting through Xanthium's clothes. "You've got your two daggers back, and the devil of a woman has left. No idea where she's going now."

Xanthium nodded, closing her eyes and leaning her head back. Vira wasn't surprised when the rogue lost conciousness, putting her hands over the wounds and letting her priestly powers sew up the wounds.

Ironic that she was healing Xanthium with the very thing that should have killed her.

---

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I'm almost well and truly blocked where fanfiction's concerned. Don't worry – I haven't forgotten my other multi part… you know, the one with the gnomes? I had half of that chapter written, but I think I deleted it by accident. It'll come, I promise.


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